Methods and systems for routing messages through a communications network based on message content

ABSTRACT

A method and system for routing messages through a communications network based on the content of the message. The method of the present invention comprises providing a method for retrieving information through a telecommunications network comprising receiving, in a message data structure, a request message comprising a command; sending a query message to a content provider based on the command; receiving a query response message from the content provider comprising response information; and sending a request response message based on the response information.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The application claims the benefit of priority from provisional U.S.Patent Application Ser. No. 60/332,376 filed Nov. 16, 2001 which isexpressly incorporated herein by reference.

Set forth below is a complete list containing the names of thisapplication and related commonly owned U.S. patent applications entitled“Telecommunications System Messaging Infrastructure”, A System forTranslation and Communication of Messaging Protocols into a CommonProtocol”, A System for the Validation and Routing of Messages”, ASystem for the Storage and Retrieval of Messages”, A System for HandlingProprietary Files”, A System for Handling File Attachments”, A Systemfor the Centralized Storage of Wireless Customer Information”, A Systemfor Customer Access to Messaging and Configuration Data”, A System andMethod for Querying Message Information”, A System and Method forPassword Protecting a Distribution”, A System and Method for ProvidingMessage Notification”, Methods and Systems for Routing Messages Througha Communications Network Based on Message Content”, and Methods andSystems for Tracking and Playing Back Errors in a CommunicationsNetwork” filed on the same date herewith.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to communications networks, and, moreparticularly, to methods and systems for routing messages through acommunications network based on message content.

BACKGROUND

Systems for retrieving information in a communication network are wellknown. Typically, such systems take the form of a processor that queriesone or more databases having a fixed data structure and a known queryformat. As such, these systems are limited to retrieving informationfrom a limited number of databases that are operatively connected to theprocessor. Because of the limited query format and fixed data structure,new information sources cannot readily be added to the system withoutreformatting the data in the new information source to comply with thefixed data structure and querying options.

While such systems for retrieving information are effective for handlingstatic amounts of information in fixed formats, they also do not providethe ability to handle multiple message formats and multiple informationsources.

In light of these problems, what is needed is a system that caninterface with varied information providers and that can readily add newinformation providers. Also what is needed is system for handlingmultiple message formats in a single communications network forretrieving information. It would also be desirable if this system coulddirect queries for information to a number of different informationsources based on message content.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the aforementioned deficiencies in theprior art by providing a method for retrieving information through atelecommunications network comprising receiving, in a message datastructure, a request message comprising a command; sending a querymessage to a content provider based on the command; receiving a queryresponse message from the content provider comprising responseinformation; and sending a request response message based on theresponse information.

The invention also comprises a system for processing informationrequests in a communications network comprising: a request messagereceiver for receiving request messages; a query message sender forfashioning a query message based on the a command and at least oneparameter and for sending the query message to a content provider; aquery response message receiver for receiving response information; anda response message sender for fashioning a request response messagebased on the response information and for sending a request responsemessage.

The invention also comprises a method for retrieving information througha communications network comprising: receiving a request message in amessaging format comprising a command and a destination alias; sendingan address request message comprising the destination alias to anaddress aliasing facility; receiving a destination address based on thedestination alias from the address aliasing facility; sending a querymessage comprising the command to a device associated with thedestination address; receiving a query response message from the contentprovider comprising response information; and sending a request responsemessage based on the response information.

Additional advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in thedescription which follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectsand advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by meansof the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate one embodiment of the inventionand together with the description, serve to explain the principles ofthe invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of a messaging infrastructure 100 in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a diagram of an adaptive routing concentrator in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a diagram of a routing and validation entity in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of message delivery in an exemplaryembodiment consistent with the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of an ARC functioning toreceive a message from a messaging element in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the message receiptstage of an ARC in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the routing requestpublication stage of an ARC in an exemplary embodiment consistent withthe present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the receipt of arouting reply stage of an ARC in an exemplary embodiment consistent withthe present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the translation stageof an ARC in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the presentinvention.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of an ARC functioningto transmit a message from the network transport bus in an exemplaryembodiment consistent with the present invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of a RAVE for routingmessages in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the presentinvention.

FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the routing requestreceipt stage of a RAVE in an exemplary embodiment consistent with thepresent invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the extraction ofrouting information stage of a RAVE in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the present invention.

FIG. 14 illustrates a diagram of a Data Storage and Routing Terminal inan exemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention.

FIG. 15 illustrates a simplified view of the messaging infrastructure100 illustrated in FIG. 1 in an exemplary embodiment consistent with thepresent invention.

FIG. 16 illustrates a flow chart of the operation of a DART element inan exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 17 illustrates the receipt of a request by a DART entity in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a DART entityperforming a store function in an exemplary embodiment consistent withthe principles of the present invention.

FIG. 19 illustrates a query request performed by a DART entity in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 20 illustrates a cancel request performed by a DART entity in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 21 illustrates an external mail request performed by a DART entityin an exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 22 illustrates a method for limiting access to a proprietary filesuch as a ring tone in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention.

FIG. 23 depicts an method for handling attachments to messages in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 24 illustrates the Mail Transfer Gateway 170 interfaced to themessaging infrastructure 100 in an exemplary embodiment consistent withthe principles of the present invention.

FIG. 25 illustrates a flow chart of the operation of an MTA element inan exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 26 illustrates the execution of a validation function by an MTAentity in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of thepresent invention.

FIG. 27 illustrates the execution of various anti-spamming functions byan MTA entity in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the principlesof the present invention.

FIG. 28 depicts a MIND database 137 in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 29 illustrates the database business logic component of themessaging infrastructure in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention.

FIG. 30 depicts an exemplary embodiment of the MIND database in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 31 illustrates a flow chart of a bulk load operation performed bythe MIND in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles ofthe present invention.

FIG. 32 depicts an incremental update of data contained in the databasesof the infrastructure in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention

FIG. 33 illustrates an SCI in an exemplary embodiment consistent withthe principles of the present invention.

FIG. 34 depicts a method for querying or tracking a message based on aunique identifier in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention.

FIG. 35 depicts a method for password protecting a subscriber-createddistribution list in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention.

FIG. 36 depicts a method for designating a type of message notificationin an exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 37 depicts a method for providing message information to asubscriber based on the contents of a cookie in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 38 illustrates a flow chart of the operation of an SCI in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 39 illustrates the receipt of a response by the SCI in an exemplaryembodiment consistent with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 40 is an exemplary flow diagram that illustrates the processing ofa response by the SCI in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention.

FIG. 41 illustrates a LAMB in an exemplary embodiment consistent withthe principles of the present invention.

FIG. 42 illustrates an exemplary method for administering an errorcondition in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 43 illustrates an exemplary method for stepping through a messagetransmission consistent with an embodiment of the present invention willnow be described.

FIG. 44 illustrates a first exemplary embodiment of a content router maybe operatively connected to a multiplexer consistent with the principlesof the present invention.

FIG. 45 illustrates another exemplary system environment with a contentrouter in which to practice an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 46 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method for retrievinginformation with a content router consistent with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 47 illustrates another exemplary method for retrieving informationusing a content router according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the present exemplaryembodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Overview

A messaging infrastructure 100 serves to communicate messages from afirst device to a second device. While in the prior art messaging tendedto be limited to sending and receiving messages only from devicesaccessible from the same Short Message Service Center (SMSC), exemplaryembodiments of a messaging infrastructure 100 consistent with thepresent invention facilitate the sending of messages between disparatedevices, many of which use different messaging protocols and formats,across a range of messaging centers and gateways. In order to assist inthis process, messages sent from a first device may be received by afirst adapter, which translates the messages into a common format;published onto a network transport bus in a common messaging format;received by a second adapter, which translates the messages into asecond device format; and transmitted to the second device. In thisfashion messages can be transmitted between various devices havingdifferent formats and capacities.

FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of a messaging infrastructure 100 in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention. The wirelessmessaging infrastructure 100 is comprised of a number of networkelements communicating over a network transport bus 125. The networktransport bus 125 may be a common asynchronous message exchangemechanism for transmitting messages in a common format. One or moreAdaptive Routing Concentrators (ARCs) 110 a-c provide messagingelements, such as Short Messaging Service (SMS) 105, Enhanced MessagingService (EMS) 115, and Internet Message Access Protocol/Post OfficeProtocol (IMAP/POP) server 118 access to and from the network transportbus 125. The ARCs 110 a-c serve to translate messages between aparticular messaging element format associated with the messagingelement and the common format used on the network transport bus 125. TheARCs 110 a-c also may request routing information from routing entitiesand send the translated messages across the network transport bus 125 toan appropriate destination ARC.

In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the one or morerouting entities are known as a Routing and Validation Entities (RAVE)130 which may be accessed by the ARCs 110 a-c to perform validation,routing and alias/distribution list functions. The RAVE 130 accessesrouting information in a Routing and Validation Database (RVDB) 135 viaa Backbone Integration Transport Bus (BITBUS) 132. The RAVE 130 accessesalias and distribution list data in the User Alias Database (UADB) 140.In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a Master IT andNetwork Database (MIND) 137 may populate both the RVDB 135 and the UADB140. The RAVE 130 returns routing information to the ARC 110 a-c thatrequested the routing information. Through the interaction of the ARCs110 a-c, the network transport bus 125, and the RAVE 130, messages intothe messaging infrastructure 100 are received, translated, routed, andtransmitted to destination devices.

In addition to these elements, exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention may also include one or more Data Storage and RoutingTerminals (DART) 145 a-b interfaced to the network transport bus 125 forstoring messaging data in a Message Data Store (MDS) 150 a-c for accessand retrieval at later points in time. The DARTs 145 a-b access the MDSs150 a-c via a Backbone DataStore Transport Bus 108. One or more ContentRouters 155 interfaced to the network transport bus 125 receive messagesaddressed to a particular address and redirect the messages to externaldevices which, for example, may return information requested in themessage to the message sender. A Logging Administration Maintenance andBilling Entity (LAMB) 160 interfaced to the network transport bus 125may log network traffic for error tracking, error replay and billingfunctions. Also, a Subscriber Configuration Interface (SCI) 165interfaces to the network transport bus 125 for allowing users to accessand update subscriber and messaging device information.

Exemplary embodiments consistent with the present invention may alsoinclude a Mail Transfer Gateway (MTG) 170. The Mail Transfer Gateway 170may serve as an email gateway between the messaging infrastructure 100and the Internet 175. To facilitate this function, the Mail TransferGateway may be coupled to both the network transport bus 125 and theBITBUS 132.

Adaptive Routing Concentrator Hardware

FIG. 2 illustrates a diagram of an adaptive routing concentrator 110 inan exemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention. Theadapter, or ARC 110, comprises a messaging interface 210 coupled to aprocessor 220 coupled to a network transport bus interface 230. Themessaging interface 210 communicates between the ARC 110 and a messagingelement 205. The message element 205 may be any of a number of messagingelements communicating a variety of messaging protocols. Messagingelement 205 may comprise, for example, an SMSC, an Enhanced MessagingService Center (EMSC), an email gateway operating Simple Mail TransferProtocol (SMTP), Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) or ShortMessage Peer to Peer (SMPP), an Instant Messaging (IM) gateway, a pushproxy gateway communicating HTTP elements, Telecator Alphanumeric PagingProtocol (TAP), or a Mobitex gateway.

Messaging interface 210 is operable to pre-cache messages or post-cachemessages, or it performs no caching. Caching is useful where certainmessaging elements operate in such a way that messages are segmentedinto multiple parts. In pre-caching, incoming message segments into themessaging interface 210 are held in the messaging interface 210 untilthe last segment is received, prior to sending the incoming message tothe processor 220. In post-caching, outgoing segmented messages from themessaging interface 210 to the message element 205 are held until thelast segment is received.

Messaging interface 210 is extensible such that, regardless of themessaging element 205 with which the messaging interface 210 iscommunicating, the messaging interface 210 can be adapted to communicatewith that messaging element 205. Communication between the messaginginterface 210 and the messaging element 205 may be unidirectional orbidirectional, such that the ARC 110 may send and/or receive messageswith the messaging element 205. In addition, the ARC 110 may comprisemultiple messaging interfaces 210, where each interface communicateswith a separate messaging element 205.

The messaging interface 210 communicates with the processor 220.Regarding messages incoming from the messaging interface 210, theprocessor 220 operates to translate messages between the messagingelement format or protocol and the common format utilized on the networktransport bus 125. In addition, the processor 220 generates routingrequests from a router, generally a RAVE. In order to generate a routingrequest, the processor 220 may parse the incoming message from themessage interface 210 to retrieve an originating address and adestination address from the incoming message. The routing request mayinclude the origination address, destination address, and a uniquetransaction identification that identifies the message. The processor220 receives a routing response via the network transport bus interface230 that contains routing information for the received message. Based onthe routing response, the processor 220 operates to route messagesreceived from the messaging interface 210 to an appropriate destination.

Should routing responses contain requests for additional information,such as a password, the processor 220 operates to request the passwordvia the messaging interface 210 from the messaging element 205 andverify the receipt of an accurate password prior to routing the messageto its destination. The processor 220 is also operable to send messagestatus information to the messaging element 205 via the messaginginterface 210.

Regarding messages incoming from the network transport bus interface230, the processor 220 is operable to translate the common messages intothe messaging element format and transmit the messages, via themessaging interface 210 to the messaging element 205.

The translation operation of the processor may be operable to store aplurality of potential messaging element formats within the ARC 110 oronly the applicable messaging element format for the messaging elementin communication with the ARC 110. The processor 220 may be operable tosense the appropriate messaging element format and adaptively translatethe common format between the appropriate messaging element format, orthe appropriate messaging element format may be configured into theprocessor 220.

The network transport interface 230 couples the processor 220 to thenetwork transport bus 125. The network transport interface 230 monitorstraffic along the network transport bus 125 for messages directed to theARC 110 and places messages on the network transport bus 125 from theprocessor 210.

The Network Transport Bus

The network transport bus 125 operates as a pipeline to permit thetransfer of messages between various network elements. The networktransport bus utilizes a common message format for communication betweenthe network elements. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention,the common message format may be Extensible Markup Language (XML) orMIME. While the network transport bus 125 is illustrated as a singlecommon pipeline, those skilled in the art will appreciate that it may besegmentable and scalable and may be physically broken with firewalls andgateways separating parts of the network transport bus 125. The networktransport bus 125 may include a message broker to facilitatecommunication along the bus and may monitor itself for congestion orother potential problems.

In an exemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention,messaging across the network transport bus 125 may be point-to-point,multipoint, or broadcast. A point-to-point message utilizes anaddressing scheme whereby the message is designated to be received by asingle network element. Multipoint messaging addresses a message to twoor more specific network elements. Broadcast messaging publishes themessage onto the network transport bus 125 for receipt by any networkelements interested in receiving the message.

Exemplary embodiments consistent with the present invention may utilizea combination of subject and device addressing to send messages alongthe network transport bus 125. Subject based addressing tends to bebroadcast based, tagging a subject address onto a message. Networkelements monitor the network transport bus 125 for subject addresses ofinterest to the network elements. For instance, in generating a routingrequest, an ARC may append the subject address “Routing_Validation” tothe header of a message broadcast on the network transport bus. Elementsinterested in reading a “Routing_Validation”, such as routers or RAVEs,would read these messages off of the network transport bus 125.

Exemplary embodiments consistent with the present invention may alsoappend a more specific network element address onto the header alongwith the subject address. For instance, a routing request may beaddressed to “Routing_Validation.RAVE1”. In which case, RAVE1 would bethe intended RAVE which would read the message associated with therouting request. Other RAVEs would likely not read the messageassociated with the request; however, error tracking network elements,such as a LAMB, may choose to read the message.

In addition, messages may have a plurality of headers for messagesintended to be received by a variety of different network elements,i.e., a multicast message. For instance, a message sent to adistribution list of recipients may have several headers attached to themessage, with each header designating an intended destination networkelement.

Network transport bus interfaces, such as network transport businterface 230, may run daemons that monitor the network traffic forappropriate subject addresses and network element addresses. Forinstance, ARC1 110 a may monitor network traffic for subject addressessuch as “Deliver-MSG” (for delivering a message) or“Routing_Validation_Response” (for a routing validation response). ARC1110 a may also monitor any specific network addresses appended to thesesubject addresses looking for “.ARC1.”, in which case ARC1 110 a willread the message.

Routing and Validation Entity Hardware

FIG. 3 illustrates a diagram of a routing and validation entity 130 inan exemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention. The RAVE130 comprises a network transport bus interface 310 coupled to thenetwork transport bus 125 and a processor 320 coupled to the networktransport bus interface 310. The network transport interface 310monitors traffic along the network transport bus 125 for messagesdirected to the RAVE 130 and places routing replies on the networktransport bus 125 from the processor 320.

Similarly to the operation of the ARC's network transport bus interface230, the RAVE's network transport bus interface 310 may run daemons thatmonitor the network traffic for appropriate subject addresses andnetwork element addresses. For instance, RAVE 130 may monitor networktraffic for subject addresses such as “Routing_Validation” (forreceiving a routing request for a message). RAVE 130, through networktransport bus interface 310 may also monitor any specific networkaddresses appended to these subject addresses looking for “.RAVE.”, inwhich case RAVE 130 will read the message.

Processor 320 interfaces with the network transport bus interface 310 toreceive routing requests and generate and transmit routing replies. Uponreceipt of a routing request, the processor 320 may extract routinginformation based on the destination device address and/or theorigination device address. If the destination device address is analias or a distribution list, the processor 320 may look-up the alias ordistribution list in the UADB 140 and return one or more actualdestination device addresses that correspond to the alias ordistribution list.

In exemplary embodiments consistent with the present invention, theprocessor 320 may query an RVDB, such as RVDB 135, for routinginformation for each of the one or more destination device address (morethan one in the case of a distribution list). The routing informationmay contain information, including: the device type of the destinationdevice, device address of the destination device, and an adapter, orARC, that serves the destination device. Routing information may alsoinclude a password, if the destination device is password protected. Inaddition, the origination address may be used in the routing informationlookup to determine if the origination device address is on a whitelist(permitted communication) or on a blacklist (barred communication). Aclass of service may also be looked up for the destination deviceaddress, origination device address, or both to ensure that themessaging device has an appropriate class of service prior to routingthe message to the destination. In addition, if the destination deviceaddress or the origination device address is associated with a prepaidsubscriber, the processor 320 may verify sufficient available funds areavailable to route the message. Data storage options may also be lookedup for either the destination device address or the originating deviceaddress. Processor 320 may return some or all of this information in therouting reply returned to the requesting ARC.

While the RAVE 130 and the ARC 110 a-c have been discussed as if theywere physically separate units, it is foreseen that they may function asdistinct processes within a single hardware unit. In which case,communication between the ARC 110 a-c and RAVE 130 might be over alogical network transport bus rather than a physical network transportbus.

Although the functions of RAVEs, ARCs and the network transport bus hasbeen discussed individually, and will later be discussed individually,it is helpful to understand the basic process by which messages arereceived, routed and delivered using these network elements.

Message Delivery

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of message delivery in an exemplaryembodiment consistent with the present invention. This flowchartillustrates the processes that occur across the ARCs, RAVE, and networktransport bus in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Atstage 405, an ARC, ARC1 110 a, receives an incoming message from an SMSC105. The message is received by ARC1 110 a in SMS format and carries anoriginating device address and a destination device address. The ARC1110 a parses the incoming message for the originating device address anddestination device address and assigns a unique transactionidentification to the message. At stage 410, ARC1 110 a requests routinginformation by publishing a routing request on the network transportbus. The routing request may contain the destination device address,originating device address, and the unique transaction identification.In order to save bandwidth on the bus, the message itself is typicallynot sent in the routing request in an exemplary embodiment of theinvention.

At stage 415, the router, RAVE 130, receives the routing request andextracts routing information. The RAVE 130 may perform a look-up in theRVDB 135 based on the destination device address to extract the routinginformation. At stage 420, the RAVE 130 publishes the routinginformation back onto the network transport bus. And, the ARC1 110 apicks up the routing information from the network transport bus.

At stage 425, the ARC1 110 a translates the incoming message from theSMS format to the common format, either XML or MIME, and appendsaddressing information onto the common format message. At stage 430, theARC1 110 a publishes the message on the network transport bus. At stage435, ARC2 receives the published message from the network transport bus.At stage 440, ARC2 110 b translates the message from the common formatto the ESM format, and, at stage 445, ARC2 110 b transmits the messageto the ESMC 115 for delivery to the destination device.

Now that an overview of message delivery has been presented, adiscussion of the detailed operations of the various network elementsfollows.

Adaptive Routing Concentrator Operation

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an ARC operating to receive a messagefrom a messaging element in an exemplary embodiment consistent with thepresent invention. At stage 510, the ARC receives the message from theoriginating device via the messaging element. At stage 520, the ARCpublishes a routing request for routing information for the receivedmessage. At stage 530, the ARC receives a routing reply in response tothe routing request. At stage 540, assuming the routing response returnsa valid response, the ARC translates the message from the incomingmessaging format into the common format. At stage 550, the ARC publishesthe common message to the destination device over the network transportbus.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the message receiptstage 510 of an ARC in an exemplary embodiment consistent with thepresent invention. At stage 605, the ARC receives an incoming messagefrom an originating device via a messaging element. At stage 610, theARC separates the header from the body of the message. At stage 615, theARC parses the header for an originating device address and adestination device address. At stage 620, the ARC assigns a uniquetransaction identification to the message. Typically, an ARC containsmemory for short term storage of the message, header information, andassociated unique transaction identification.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the routing requestpublication stage 520 of an ARC in an exemplary embodiment consistentwith the present invention. At stage 705, the ARC generates a routingrequest. Typically, a routing request may be of the following form:

“Routing_Validation.RAVE_ADDRESS.ORIGINATING_ARC_ADDRESS.TRANSACTION_ID.ORIGINATING_DEVICE_ADDRESS.DESTINATION_DEVICE_ADDRESS”

where:

RAVE_ADDRESS is the address of the destination RAVE for the request.Typically, the ARC will not address the routing request to a particularRAVE, so this field will typically be “RAVE*”, meaning any RAVE;

ORIGINATING_ARC_ADDRESS is the address of the ARC originating therouting request, e.g, ARC1, ARC2, etc.;

TRANSACTION_ID is the assigned transaction identification of themessage;

ORIGINATING_DEVICE_ADDRESS is the address of the originating devicegathered from parsing the header information; and

DESTINATION_DEVICE_ADDRESS is the address of the destination devicegathered from parsing the header information.

At stage 710, the request is published on the network transport bus.

Once the ARC publishes the routing request, its tasks relating to thismessage are complete until the return of a routing reply. FIG. 8illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the receipt of a routingreply stage 530 of an ARC in an exemplary embodiment consistent with thepresent invention. At stage 805, the monitor daemon in the ARC monitorstraffic on the network transport bus. At stage 815, the daemon examinesthe header of a message on the network transport bus to determine if thesubject address is a routing reply for this particular ARC. Typically,it is searching for “Routing_Validation_Response.ARCn”, where ARCn isthe address of this ARC that is awaiting the routing reply.

If an appropriately addressed routing reply is received at stage 815, atstage 820, the ARC will parse the routing reply. At stage 825, therouting reply is examined for an invalid message in the response. AnInvalid message in the response may typically be of the following form:

“Routing_Validation_Response.Invalid.Reason”, where Reason could bebecause of, for example, an insufficient prepaid account, blacklisting,or an insufficient COS.

If an Invalid response is returned, at stage 830 the ARC examines thereason field to determine if it is because of insufficient funds in aprepaid subscriber's device. If so, an invalid message is returned tothe originating device in stage 845. The invalid message may include thereason for the invalid message. Following an invalid message to theoriginating device in stage 845, at stage 875, further processing of themessage is halted, so that the message is not delivered to therecipient. In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, resources arenot expended translating the message to the common format if the messageis not going to be transmitted across the network transport bus to thedestination device.

If insufficient funds are not the reason for the Invalid reply, at stage835 the ARC examines the reason field to determine if it is because of ablacklist associated with the destination device. If so, an invalidmessage is returned to the originating device in stage 845. The invalidmessage may include the reason for the invalid message. Following aninvalid message to the originating device in stage 845, at stage 875,further processing of the message is halted, so that the message is notdelivered to the recipient.

If blacklisting is not the reason for the Invalid reply, at stage 840the ARC examines the reason field to determine if it is because of aninsufficient COS associated with the device. If so, an invalid messageis returned to the originating device in stage 845. The invalid messagemay include the reason for the invalid message. Following an invalidmessage to the originating device in stage 845, at stage 875, furtherprocessing of the message is halted, so that the message is notdelivered to the recipient.

If none of these is the reasons for the Invalid reply, at stage 875, themessage is not sent, and, typically an invalid message is sent to theoriginating device.

If a valid reply is received in the routing response, e.g.,“Routing_Validation_Response.Valid.”, at stage 850 the reply is examinedto see whether a password has been transmitted in the reply. If apassword has been submitted in the reply, this is an indication that thedestination device is password protected and the originator needs tosupply a password to send the message. Optionally, the originatingdevice may include a password in the original message which wouldobviate the need for stages 855-860. Typically the originating devicewill not have supplied a password. Therefore, at stage 855, a passwordrequest is sent to the messaging entity requesting a password. At stages860 and 865, the password is received and compared to the passwordsupplied by the routing reply. If the passwords do not match, at stages870 and 875 an invalid password message is returned to the originatingdevice and the message is not delivered. Optionally, exemplaryembodiments consistent with the present invention may provide formultiple attempts to provide a correct password.

Assuming a valid response and a valid password, if required, processingcontinues at stage 540 where the message is translated into the commonformat. FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of thetranslation stage 540 of an ARC in an exemplary embodiment consistentwith the present invention. At stage 905, the message is translated fromits original message format to the common message format utilized on thenetwork transport bus. At stage 910 routing information gathered fromthe routing reply is utilized to append a header to the message in thecommon format. The header of the common message may be in one of thefollowing formats:

“Deliver_Message.ARCn.DEVICE_TYPE.DESTINATION_ADDRESS.TRANSACTION_IDENTIFICATION”or“Deliver_Store_Message.ARCn.DEVICE_TYPE.DESTINATION_ADDRESS.TRANSACTION_IDENTIFICATION”,where:

ARCn is the address of the ARC associated with the destination device.This information may or may not be in the routing reply information. Ifthe information is in the routing reply information, then theappropriate ARC address is in this field. Otherwise, this field willcontain ARC*, and each ARC will have to examine this message andinternally decide whether the Device Type or Destination Address isassociated with the respective recipient ARC;

Device_Type is the type of destination device. Examples include GSM,TDMA, Mobitex, FAX, etc.;

Destination Address is the destination address for the destinationdevice;

A Deliver_Message subject is used if the message does not need to bestored in the DART. A Deliver_Store_Message subject is used if themessage is to be stored in the DART.

Once the message had been published onto the network transport bus, theoperations of the ARC are essentially complete. Additional exemplaryembodiments of the invention may provide for feedback to originatingARCs relating to the delivered status of messages.

While the previous FIGS. 5-9 illustrated the flowchart of the operationof an ARC functioning to receive a message from a messaging element inan exemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention, ARCs alsofunction to receive messages from the network transport bus fortransmission to destination devices. FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart ofthe operation of an ARC functioning to transmit a message from thenetwork transport bus in an exemplary embodiment consistent with thepresent invention.

At stage 1005, the monitor daemon in the ARC monitors traffic on thenetwork transport bus. At stage 1010, the daemon examines the header ofa message on the network transport bus to determine if the subjectaddress is related to delivery of a message. Typically, it is searchingfor “Deliver_Message.ARCn.DEVICE_TYPE.DESTINATION_ADDRESS” or“Deliver_Store_Message.ARCn.DEVICE_TYPE.DESTINATION_ADDRESS”. If adelivery related message is found at stage 1010 and the ARCn field isleft as “ARC*”, at stage 1015 the ARC will parse the common messageheader to pull out the Device_Type and Destination_Address entries. Atstage 1020, if either of these entries has a value assigned to the ARC,processing proceeds to stage 1030.

At stage 1025, if the subject address is not related to delivery of amessage and the ARC is not specifically addressed, e.g. .ARC1., then thedaemon continues to monitor network traffic at stage 1005. Otherwise,flow proceeds to stage 1030.

At stage 1030, the contents of the message in the common format are readfrom the network transport bus. At stage 1035, the header of the messageis parsed to determine the destination address. At stage 1040, themessage is translated by the ARC from the common format to the messagingformat of the messaging entity, and at stage 1045, the message is sentto the destination device via the messaging entity.

Routing and Validation Entity Operation

Having completed a detailed explanation of the operation of an ARC, adetailed explanation of the operation of the RAVE will now beundertaken. FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of a RAVEfor routing messages in an exemplary embodiment consistent with thepresent invention. At stage 1105, the RAVE receives a routing requestfrom the network transport bus. At stage 1110, the RAVE extracts routinginformation relating to the routing request. At stage 1115, the RAVEgenerates a routing reply comprising the routing information. At stage1120, the RAVE transmits the routing reply back onto the networktransport bus.

FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the routing requestreceipt stage 1105 of a RAVE in an exemplary embodiment consistent withthe present invention. At stage 1205, a daemon on the RAVE monitorsnetwork traffic on the network transport bus. At stage 1210, the daemonexamines the header of a message on the network transport bus todetermine if the subject address is a routing request. Typically, it issearching for“Routing_Validation.RAVE_ADDRESS.ORIGINATING_ARC_ADDRESS.TRANSACTION_ID.ORIGINATING_DEVICE_ADDRESS.DESTINATION_DEVICE_ADDRESS”

where:

RAVE_ADDRESS is the address of the destination RAVE for the request.Typically, the ARC will not address the routing request to a particularRAVE, so this field will typically be “RAVE*”, meaning any RAVE;

ORIGINATING_ARC_ADDRESS is the address of the ARC originating therouting request, e.g, ARC1, ARC2, etc.;

TRANSACTION_ID is the assigned transaction identification of themessage;

ORIGINATING_DEVICE_ADDRESS is the address of the originating devicegathered from parsing the header information; and

DESTINATION_DEVICE_ADDRESS is the address of the destination devicegathered from parsing the header information.

If a Routing_Validation message is found at stage 1210 and theRAVE_ADDRESS field is left as “RAVE*”, at stage 1215 the RAVE will parsethe common message header to pull out the Destination_Device_Addressentry. At stage 1220, if the entry has a value assigned to the RAVE,processing proceeds to stage 1230.

At stage 1225, if the subject address is not a Routing_Validation andthe RAVE is not specifically addressed, e.g. .RAVE1., then the daemoncontinues to monitor network traffic at stage 1005. Otherwise, flowproceeds to stage 1230.

At stage 1230, the Routing_Validation message is read, and at stage 1235the Routing_Validation message is parsed to pull out the originatingdevice address and the destination device address. At stage 1110,routing information is extracted from the RVDB.

FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the extraction ofrouting information stage 1110 of a RAVE in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the present invention. At stage 1303, the RAVE examinesthe destination device address entry to determine whether it is an aliasor a distribution list. If the destination device address entry is analias or a distribution list, at stage 1306 the RAVE looks up the entryin the UADB. At stage 1309, if the entry is not found in the UADB, anInvalid response is returned in the routing response at stage 1312. But,if the entry is found in the UADB, at stage 1315 the destination devicesare expanded from the entry in the UADB, and the list of one or moredestination devices is returned at stage 1318.

At stage 1321, for each of the one or more destination devices, processstages 1324-1369 are executed. If more than one device is present, thiswill yield a string of routing information with a header portion foreach of the destination devices.

At stage 1324, the destination device is looked up in the RVDB. At stage1327, routing information is extracted from the RVDB for the destinationdevice. The routing information comprises at least a device address. Therouting information may further comprise: a device type, an ARC addressassociated with the device address, prepaid subscriber flag, whitelistdata, blacklist data, COS data, password data, and a data storage flag.

At stage 1330, if the origination device and/or the destination deviceis related to a prepaid subscriber, stage 1333 looks up balanceinformation to determine if there is an available balance. If thebalance is not available, at stage 1336, an Invalid reply is returnedfor the associated destination device.

If the balance is available, the RAVE may debit the origination deviceand/or destination devices account.

If the origination and/or destination device is not associated with aprepaid subscriber, or associated with a prepaid subscriber with asufficient balance, processing proceeds in parallel to stages 1339,1348, and 1351.

At stage 1339, the ARC checks whether the originating address is on awhitelist for the destination device. If so, a Valid response isgenerated and processing continues at stage 1369. If not, at stage 1342the ARC checks whether the originating address is on a blacklist for thedestination device. If so, an Invalid response is generated andprocessing continues at stage 1369. If not, at stage 1345 the ARC checkswhether the originating address or destination address meets the COSrequirements. If so, a Valid response is generated and processingcontinues at stage 1369.

At stage 1348, the process checks whether a password is required for thedestination device. If so, at stage 1363 a Password is returned andprocessing proceeds to stage 1369.

At stage 1351, the process checks whether a data storage flag is turnedon for the destination device. If so, at stage 1365 a data storage flagis returned and processing proceeds to stage 1369.

At stage 1369, the various returned routing information is compiled forall destination devices associated with the message. This is used togenerated the routing reply of stage 1115 (FIG. 11). A routing replyheader typically will look like this for each destination device in theheader:

“Routing_Validation_Response.VALIDITY.REASON.DEVICE_TYPE.DEVICE_ADDRESS.ARCn.PASSWORD.DATASTORE.TRANSACTION_ID”,where

VALIDITY generally returns either Valid or Invalid;

REASON may return the reason for an Invalid response;

DEVICE_TYPE may return the type of device;

DEVICE_ADDRESS returns the specific device address for the destinationdevice;

ARCn may return the address of the ARC responsible for the device;

PASSWORD may return a password if one is required to send a message tothe destination device; and

DATASTORE may return a flag if data storage should take place for themessage.

Data Storage and Routing Terminal

In an exemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention, DARTS145 a-b may be active network elements that supply business logic forstoring, updating, and querying current message objects from MDS 150a-c. DARTS 145 a-b, for example, can provide an interface between MDS150 a-c, and other elements of the wireless architecture that produceand query the data stored in MDS 150 a-c. In the example of FIG. 1,DARTS 145 a-b may support interface requirements to MDS 150 a-c. Forexample, DARTS 145 a-b may implement load balancing between MDS 150 a-c.In this manner, one or more of the DARTs, such as DART1 145 a, mayperform a load balancing function for the data stored in one or moremessage data stores such as MDS 150 a.

One or more of the DARTs, such as DART1 145 a, may provide routing toone or more of the message data stores such as MDS 150 a. In thismanner, DART1 145 a, for example, may route messages or otherinformation to one or more of the message data stores such as MDS 150 a.In one exemplary embodiment, DARTS 145 a-b perform routing functionswhich direct particular messages to a particular message data store suchas MDS 150 b.

One or more of the DARTs such as DART1 145 a, may store messages in amessage data store such as MDS 150 c, on a per device basis. Forexample, all of the messages that are associated with a particulardevice may be stored in a single message data store, such as MDS 150 b.In this example, DART1 145 a may be able to detect a device typeassociated with a particular message and route that message to apredefined message data store. Device types may be defined as generalpacket radio service (GPRS), Global System for Mobile Communication(GSM) or MOBITEX. In a further embodiment of the present invention, asingle DART, such as DART1 145 a, may be adapted to handle a certaintype of message for a particular device. In this manner, DART1 145 a mayhandle all MOBITEX messages. DART1 145 a may then be tasked with routingall MOBITEX messages to a particular message data store. In an alternateembodiment of the present invention, multiple DARTs may handle multipledevice types. For example, each DART in the system depicted in FIG. 1may be capable of handling messages for numerous different device types.

DARTS 145 a-b may be capable of handling fragmented message segments.For example, in a short messaging service (SMS) format, messages may besegmented into different parts of standard lengths. One embodiment ofthe DART may be capable of handling message segments so as to preservethe integrity of a message made up of message segments. For example,DART 145 a may be capable of receiving numerous message segments of asingle message and directing those message segments to a single messagedata store such as MDS 150 b.

DARTS 145 a-b may be capable of routing information including theoriginating and terminating addresses of a particular message. In afurther embodiment of the present invention, DARTS 145 a-b may be ableto handle and direct class of service (COS) data as well as contextidentification data on a per transaction basis. In general, DARTS 145a-b may be capable of handling numerous data and information structuresassociated with a particular message. For example, DART 145 a may beable to parse out a message header.

DARTS 145 a-b may be capable of querying messages and determining thecurrent status of a message. These query and status functions may beperformed on a per device basis. For example, a DART, such as DART1 145a, may be able to access a message data store, such as MDS 150 b, todetermine the number of messages stored therein for a particular devicetype. Additionally, DART1 145 a may be capable of determining thecurrent status of messages stored in a message data store.

One or more DARTs, such as DART 145 b, may provide support for multipledatabase elements such as UADB 140, RVDB 135, and MDS 150 a-c, as wellas other internal or external databases. In an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention, DARTs, such as DART 145 b, may support call levelinterfaces such as open database connectivity (ODBC) or JAVA databaseconnectivity (JDBC), database middle ware, light weight directory accessprotocol (LDAP) interfaces, multiplexing database requests, JAVAmessaging service and JAVA naming directory information, databaseconnection pooling, database adaptors, and format and applicationprotocol of a database gateway. Alternate embodiments of the DART of thepresent invention may be able to support any one or more of theseprotocols and applications as well as numerous others known to thoseskilled in the art.

The DARTs, such as DART 145 a, may provide the ability to sendtransactions as a remote request in which one sequential query languagerequest is sent to one database. In other embodiments, a DART, such asDART 145 b, may be able to send transactions as a remote unit of work inwhich many sequential query language requests are sent to one databaseor as a distributive request in which many sequential query languagerequests are sent to many databases. In this manner, one or more DARTs,for example, may be capable of querying one or more databases, such asRVDB 135, UADB 140, and MDS 150 c.

DART2 145 b, may be capable of publishing messages to other networkelements such as, for example, RAVEs, ARCs, and other DARTs. Thismessage transfer may be accomplished via a publish and subscribeprocess. Additionally, in another embodiment of the present invention,the transfer of messages may be accomplished via a synchronous or anasynchronous transaction process.

DART1 145 a may be capable of parsing a message so that only headerinformation without message text can be sent to a wireless subscriber.DART1 145 a may also be capable of responding with specific headerinformation, message identification information, message size or length,date stamps, and message statuses. In this manner, DART 145 a may beable to parse out various segments of a message and send any number ofthose segments to a wireless subscriber.

In a further aspect of the present invention, segmented messages can belinked together into a single transaction. For example, if a messageexceeds the standard length, it would then take up more than onesegment. DART 145 b of the present invention contemplates treating thesegmented pieces of a single message as a single transaction. In afurther embodiment of the present invention, data can be parsed out ofthe message to convert it into different protocols.

DART 145 b may provide various storage management functions. Forexample, DART 145 b may provide the capability of throttling the numberof messages for a single wireless subscriber. In addition, DART 145 bmay be capable of tracking the number and size of messages a singlewireless subscriber stores in a message data store such as MDS 150 a.DART2 145 b may be capable of notifying a wireless subscriber of thenumber of messages stored in a message data store. In another embodimentof the present invention, a wireless subscriber may be allotted acertain limited amount of storage in a message data store such as MDS150 a. In this manner, a wireless subscriber, for example, may be givenone megabyte of data storage capability on a message data store. If thewireless subscriber exceeds the one megabyte storage limit, then DART2145 b may be capable of sending the wireless subscriber a messageindicating such.

DART2 145 b may be capable of notifying a wireless subscriber that hismessage storage limit is about to be reached. These notificationmessages may be delivered through any convenient medium to the wirelesssubscriber. For example, the wireless subscriber may receive such amessage on his pager. A further aspect of the current invention providesfor storage thresholds that are dynamically modifiable. In this example,a wireless subscriber may be allocated an initial storage capacity, forexample two megabytes, and then be able to increase that capacity laterupon the occurrence of a certain event.

The DARTs, such as DART1 145 a may be capable of supporting datareplication. Further, DART 145 a may be capable of supporting methodreplication. For example, business logic may be replicated among variousDARTs and may be thus modifiable throughout all DARTs.

DARTs, such as DART2 145 b, may be capable of allowing a user toremotely delete e-mail from a wireless device. In this manner, awireless subscriber may be able to access his wireless device and beable to delete, for example, an e-mail message. DART 145 a may then beable to synchronize this deletion to a mail server so that the e-mail isalso deleted from the mail server. In other words, a single deletecommand from a wireless device could operate to erase, for example, ane-mail message from both a database and an e-mail server. In theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, DART1 145 a may receive a delete commandfrom a wireless subscriber. In this example, DART1 145 a may then beable to delete the particular e-mail message from MDS 150 a as well asfrom an IMAP/POP server 156. In this manner, DART 145 a may be capableof a synchronized delete function.

FIG. 14 illustrates a diagram of a Data Storage and Routing Terminal 145in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention. TheDART 145 comprises a network transport bus interface 1410 coupled to aprocessor 1420 coupled to a backbone datastore transport bus interface1430.

The network transport bus interface 1410 couples the processor 1420 tothe network transport bus 125. The network transport bus interface 1410monitors traffic along the network transport bus 125 for messagesdirected to the DART 145 and places messages on the network transportbus 125 from the processor 1420.

The processor performs the operations described throughout this portionof the specification and interfaces to the backbone datastore transportbus 108 through the backbone datastore transport bus interface 1430.Through this interface and bus, the DART communicates with the messagedata store entities, MDS.

The message data store entities, such as MDS 150 a, may be capable ofstoring e-mail messages with or without attachments, text messagesincluding, for example, short messages, instant messages, and MOBITEXmessages, enhanced messages including, for example, ETSI messages, ENSmessages, and NOKIA smart messages, multimedia messages including, forexample, text, fax, icons, logos, animations, music, photos, mediaclips, or any combination of the above.

The MDS may be able to store data in a MIME or XML format. Messages mayalso be popped up to an external e-mail server. In this manner, amessage stored at the direction of a DART, such as DART1 145 a, in adatabase, such as MDS 150 a, in MIME format could be transmitted to anexternal device through ARC translation. Additionally, messages can bestored, for example, in a linked list format.

MDS elements 150 a, 150 b, and 150 c, may be capable of storing messagesin any convenient data format. This message storage may be capable ofsupporting any number of various communications protocols. In additionto MIME format, numerous other data storage formats known to thoseskilled in the art may be used consistently with the principles of thepresent invention. In addition, data may be stored in MDS 150 a-c, on aper transaction basis to decrease the storage requirements for multipledevices or destinations.

MDS can be scaleable. For example, MDS 150 a may be expandable beyond aninitial data storage capability. Further, new MDSs (not shown) may beadded to the backbone data store transport 105 to provide additionalstorage capability. In this manner, not only are individual MDSs, suchas MDS 150 a, scaleable but so too is the storage capacity across allMDS in the entire network.

MDS 150 a, 150 b, and 150 c may provide security features. For example,data may be stored in MDS 150 a, 150 b, and 150 c in any convenientencrypted format. Other exemplary embodiments of MDS 150 b, for example,may provide for redundancy to ensure no loss of data. Further, MDS 150 bmay be configured to ensure no duplication of records or data.

MDS elements 150 a, 150 b, and 150 c may support both long term andtransient storage. In this manner, MDS 150 b may contain cache memory orany other sort of transient storage medium. Further, MDS 150 b maysupport distributed storage and may provide a storage area networkarchitecture. Long term storage can occur, for example, on a magneticmedium or an optical medium. The database architecture of MDS 150 a-c,may be based on, for example, a relational model or an object orientedmodel. Numerous database structures are known to those skilled in theart and are possible implementations of MDS 150 a-c.

MDS 150 a-c may provide security features. For example, data may bestored in MDS 150 a-c in any convenient encrypted format. Otherexemplary embodiments of MDS 150 a-c may provide for redundancy toensure no loss of data. Further, MDS 150 a-c may be configured to ensureno duplication of records or data.

MDS elements 150 a-c may support both long term and transient storage.In this manner, MDS 150 a may contain cache memory or any other sort oftransient storage medium. Further, MDS 150 a may support distributedstorage and may provide a storage area network architecture. Long termstorage can occur, for example, on a magnetic medium or an opticalmedium. The database architecture of MDS 150 a-c may be based on arelational model or an object oriented model. Numerous databasestructures are known to those skilled in the art and are possibleimplementations of MDS 150 a-c.

In an exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention, an MDS comprises three tables: a message store table, amessage device status table and a transaction data segment table. Inthis example, the message store table, the message device status tableand the transaction data segment table are each contained in arelational database. The relational database may be distributed overmany different data storage entities and may be implemented in anyconvenient manner. For example, one skilled in the art would be able toimplement the principles of the MDS on an Oracle database product.

In one embodiment, the message store table is a repository for messageinformation. The message store table stores a transaction identifierassociated with a message, a message class, a description of a themessage, the number of segments in a multi-segment message, messagepriority, an originating address, a destination address, a class ofservice code, message status information, the date the message wassubmitted, a sequence number for the message, and a notification addressfor the message. The message store table has as its primary key amessage identifier. This message identifier, in this example, is aunique string associated with a message.

In general, the message store table is configured to accept detailedinformation about a message transmitted across a messaginginfrastructure 100. In this example, a unique transaction identifier isassociated with each message. This transaction identifier may be in theform of a string of characters. The message class describes the type ofmessage, such as a proprietary ring tone. For multi-segment SMSmessages, the message store table stores the number of segments in themessage. A message priority, in the form of a flag, may be associatedwith each message. In this manner, priorities can be associated witheach message and delivery schemes can be established based on messagepriority. For example, a priority flag may accept as a priority“urgent.” In such a case, a message with an associated priority flag setto “urgent” may receive preferential delivery treatment. The originationand destination addresses may be any form of address associated with acommunications device. For example, these addresses could correspond toemail addresses, IP domain names, cellular telephone numbers, faxmachines, pagers, or any other type of communications device.

The MDS is capable of storing in a common format, such as MIME or XML,messages that are generated on or received by any communications device.The status information, in this example, tracks the status of a message.For example, the status information may indicate that a message wasdelivered. A notification address, contained in the exemplary embodimentof message store table, receives an indication that a message wasdelivered.

The message device status table stores message and device information.In this example, the message device status table contains device typeinformation, a routing identifier, device status, completion date, queryattempts, retry attempts, the number of segments of a multi-segmentmessage that were delivered successfully, and the number of segments ofa multi-segment message that were not delivered successfully. The devicetype information, for example, includes the type of device and anyrelevant associated characteristics. The routing identifier, forexample, may be a string that denotes a particular route to be traveledby a message. Device status information may include information aboutwhether a particular device is turned on or is in use. Query attemptsand retry attempts, in this example, refer to the number of queryattempts made on a message and the number of attempts made at delivery,respectively. Likewise, the number of segments of a multi-segmentmessage delivered successfully and unsuccessfully are stored so thatmulti-segment messages may be properly delivered. In this example, themessage device status table has as its foreign key a message identifier.In this manner, the message device status table references message storetable for message information.

The transaction data segment table stores information about segmentedmessages. In SMS messaging, the maximum length of a message segment is160 characters. If an SMS message is longer than 160 characters, then itmust be stored in more than one segment. Each segment may be transmittedseparately over a network and then reassembled at a destination. In thisexample, the transaction data segment table stores information about thenumber of segments in a multi-segment message along with the datacontained in each segment. The transaction data segment table has as itsprimary key a segment identifier and as its foreign key a transactionidentifier. In this manner, the transaction data segment tablereferences message store table for message information.

The message store table contains the body of a message in a commonformat. This message body, for example, could be the text of an emailmessage or the coding of a ring tone converted into a common format. Inone embodiment of the present invention, the message body is associatedwith multiple destination addresses without duplication of the messagebody. For example, an SMS message may have as its destination numerousdevices. Instead of storing the SMS message text in a data structureassociated with each of the destination addresses, the SMS message textmay be stored a single time and associated with the multiple destinationaddresses in the message store table . In this manner, message text isstored only once and the associated information, such as destinationaddresses, can then be used to reference the message text.

Operation of the DART in Conjunction with the ARC & RAVE

FIG. 15 illustrates a simplified view of the messaging infrastructure100 illustrated in FIG. 1 in an exemplary embodiment consistent with thepresent invention. DART 145 b is interfaced with network transport bus125 and backbone data store transport bus 108. Likewise, in thisexample, DART 145 a interfaces with network transport bus 125 andbackbone data transport bus 108. Network transport bus 125 interfaceswith DART 145 a, DART 145 b, ARC1 110 a, ARC2 110 b, and RAVE 130.Backbone data store transport bus 108 interfaces with DART1 145 a, DART2145 b, MDS 150 a, MDS 150 b, and MDS 150 c.

In operation, messages stored on an MDS 150 a-c may flow from the MDSthrough backbone data store transport bus 108 to an applicable DART 145a or 145 b to network transport bus 125, and then to an applicable ARC110 a or 110 b. Likewise, messages may originate in an applicable ARC110 a or 110 b and then flow to network transport bus 125, an applicableDART 145 a or 145 b, backbone data store transport bus 108, and anapplicable MDS 150 a, 150 b, or 150 c.

As discussed in previous portions of the detailed discussion, a datastorage function may be enabled to trigger storage of messages in an MDSby a DART. An ARC may designate the address of a specific DART, such asDART1 145 a by utilizing “Deliver_Store_Message.DART1”. In this manner,a point to point communications protocol may be employed. Alternatively,a publish and subscribe protocol may be used in which case ARC 110 asimply publishes the new message, for example, with a subject such as“Deliver_Store_Message.DART*” on network transport 125. Each DART maysubscribe to “Deliver_Store_Message” messages.

In this publish and subscribe system, each ARC element and each DARTconnected to network transport 125 receives the new message. Likewise,in this example, the DART will make a storage decision based on, forexample, the DEVICE_TYPE, DESTINATION_ADDRESS, or ORIGINATION_ADDRESSassociated with the message. In this example, both ARC 110 a and DART145 a have subscribed for these messages and both process the message.In this case, the message processing by DART 145 a and ARC 110 a occursin parallel. DART 145 a may then publish the message on backbone datastore transport 108.

In this example, there may be many MDS elements listening for thesepublished messages but only one is configured for the subscriber. MDS150 b stores the message at the direction of DART 145 a as the DART 145a issues an “MDS_STORE.MDS2” on the Backbone DataStore Transport 108.DART 145 a may also publish a “Confirm_Store” message along with thetransaction ID for this message on network transport bus 106. ARC2 110 bis listening for this message, and once it is received, ARC2 110 b maytransmit this confirmation status to the originator of the message.

In another example, a wireless subscriber may access a message that hasalready been sent to a destination and can, for example, resend,forward, query, or delete this message. In this example, a wirelesssubscriber sends a request to see the contents of his message mailbox.This request is sent via ARC2 110 b to network transport 125. In thismanner, ARC2 110 b publishes the request on network transport 125. Asnoted, ARC2 110 b may append the address of a specific DART to thepublished request in which case a point to point protocol is used.Alternatively, ARC2 110 b may simply attach a subject such as“Read_Mailbox” to the published request, without a specific elementidentified, in which case a publish and subscribe protocol is used.

In this example, the DART associated with the particular subscriber ordevice processes the request. In this case, DART2 145 b has subscribedto any query request and therefore receives the request from networktransport 125. DART2 145 b then republishes this request on backbonedata store transport 108. While all of the MDS may be listening forthese types of messages, only one MDS, in this case MDS3 150 c,processes the query request. In this example, MDS3 150 c receives thisrequest because the wireless subscriber who sent this request has hisinformation stored on MDS3 150 c. Once again, DART2 145 b may use apoint to point protocol addressing the request specifically to MDS3 150c. Alternatively, DART2 145 b may use a publish and subscribe protocolin which case the request is published on backbone data store transport108 and each MDS listens for the request. Only the MDS associated withthe subscriber, in this case MDS3 150 c, processes the request. MDS3 150c then publishes the information about this wireless subscriber onbackbone data store transport 108. In this example, DART2 145 b receivesthe information about the wireless subscriber from backbone datatransport 108. DART2 145 b then publishes this information on networktransport 125 with addressing specified for ARC2 110 b, in a point topoint protocol. Alternatively, DART2 145 b may employ a publish andsubscribe protocol. Since ARC2 110 b has subscribed for this message, itreceives the information about the wireless subscriber, performs anytranslation functions that may be necessary, and displays the results tothe wireless subscriber. In this manner, information stored in MDS3 150c can be retrieved and forwarded to a wireless subscriber.

In another example of the operation of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, a wireless subscriber may submit a request to cancela message that is set for delivery. In this example, a wirelesssubscriber has received information about his current pending messages.The subscriber sees one message that is for delivery that he wishes tocancel so he sends a cancel message request. This cancel message requestis sent from ARC2 110 b over network transport bus 125. In this manner,ARC2 110 b transforms the cancel message request into a request that ispublished on network transport 125. This published request, for example,can contain the transaction ID, the subscriber ID, and the device type.In this example, ARC1 110 a has subscribed to any cancel messagerequests. ARC1 110 a receives this cancel message request and convertsit into the proper format for the remaining elements of the wirelessnetwork. Both ARC2 110 b and DART1 145 a are listening for this request.DART1 145 a then publishes this request on backbone data store transport108. Each MDS listens for these types of requests. In this example, MDS1150 a takes the request because MDS1 150 a has this particular wirelesssubscriber's data stored in its data storage mechanism. After MDS1 150 areceives the request, MDS1 150 a returns the requested data andpublishes it on the backbone data store transport 108. MDS1 150 a maythen delete the message. DART1 145 a, listening for this requestedinformation, receives the requested information and publishes it onnetwork transport 125. ARC2 110 b, since it subscribes to this requesteddata, receives the requested data, performs any translation functions,and returns it to the wireless subscriber.

In another example, a wireless subscriber may wish to access a messagefrom an external IMAP/POP client. A wireless subscriber's user name andpassword may be used for validation. The RAVE entity may be responsiblefor validating the particular wireless subscriber. A wireless subscribersends a request to retrieve external messages from an IMAP/POP mailserver. This request is received by ARC2 110 b which may performtranslation functions. After any necessary translation functions, ARC2110 b publishes the request on network transport 125. This request, maybe published in the form of an update message request.

In this example, DART1 145 a subscribes to such update message requests.Therefore, DART1 145 a receives this update message request. Uponreceiving this update message request, in this example, DART1 145 apublishes on network transport 125 a get subscriber mail informationrequest. RAVE 130 is subscribed for a get subscriber mail informationrequest message and receives this message. RAVE 130 searches applicabledatabases, such as RVDB 135 for appropriate wireless subscriberinformation. RAVE 130 then publishes this information on networktransport 125. In this manner, RAVE 130 places on network transport 125various information about a wireless subscriber, such as the wirelesssubscriber's user name, alias, preferences, and possible destinationaddresses.

DART1 145 a subscribes to the information placed on network transport125 by RAVE 130. DART1 145 a receives this information and in responsepublishes a get external e-mail request on network transport 125. Inthis example, ARC2 110 b is associated with an IMAP/POP server (notshown) and to that extent, ARC2 110 b may perform various translationfunctions for the IMAP/POP server. ARC2 110 b subscribes to get externale-mail requests and therefore receives this request and its accompanyinginformation and forwards the request to an IMAP/POP server (not shown)which retrieves the information from an external storage device. Thisretrieved information, which for example could be an e-mail message, isreceived by ARC2 110 b for any necessary translation. After ARC2 110 bperforms necessary translation functions on the external mail message,ARC2 110 b publishes this email message on network transport 125.

In this example, DART2 145 b subscribes to these external mail messages.DART2 145 b receives the external message from network transport 125 andpublishes the external mail message on backbone data store transport108. All of the MDSs listen for external mail messages such as thatplaced on backbone data store transport 108 by DART2 145 b. In thiscase, MDS2 150 b contains information about the wireless subscriber andtherefore receives the external mail message attributable to thatwireless subscriber. MDS2 150 b receives the external mail message frombackbone data store transport 108. MDS2 150 b, in this example, thenupdates its data storage with the external mail message that it receivedfrom backbone data store transport 108. The wireless system may beconfigured such that one DART subscribes to new message requests whileanother DART subscribes to update requests.

After MDS2 150 b has received the last external e-mail message, DART2145 b may then publish on network transport 125 a sub-messages POPmessage which may also contain subscriber identification. ARC1 110 asubscribes to receive this type of message which would contain theinformation about the external mail message. Accordingly, in thisexample, ARC1 110 a receives this information and the accompanyingexternal mail message, performs any translation that may be necessary,and then returns the external mail message to the wireless subscriber.

In another example, a class of service associated with a message may notallow the body of the message itself to be read. In such a case, ARC1110 a may return only a description of the message. For example, awireless subscriber may request that a ring tone be forwarded from anexternal IMAP/POP server. In such a case, ARC2 110 b receives thisrequest and, through the previously described method, publishes arequest on network transport 125. A field associated with this messagemay indicate that it is a proprietary ring tone. If this is the case,ARC1 110 a, after perhaps several intervening steps, may return to thewireless subscriber a message indicating that the proprietary ring tonemay not be forwarded.

In yet another example, a DART entity may allow a wireless subscriber toPOP a message through an external IMAP/POP client. A wireless subscribermay be able to download an external message description or the wholemessage itself based on an associated class of service code.

In this example, a wireless subscriber requests a description of allmessages stored on an IMAP/POP server. ARC1 110 a receives this requestand transforms it into a publish request which is published on networktransport 125. DART1 145 a has subscribed to this publish request andreceives the request from network transport 125. DART1 145 a transformsthis request into a query that is then published on backbone data storetransport 108. In this case, MDS2 150 b has subscribed for queries andreceives the query from backbone data store transport 108. Uponreceiving the query, MDS2 150 b processes the request to return thesubscriber's messages. For example, MDS2 150 b may be able to receive aquery from backbone data store transport 108 and, through associatedfunctions, search its associated database or databases for contentsrelevant to the query.

In this example, MDS2 150 b contains all messages associated with thewireless subscriber. MDS2 150 b, after processing the query, returns theinformation to backbone data store transport 108. DART2 145 b hassubscribed to receive this information and receives it from backbonedata store transport 108. DART2 145 b may then forward this informationto network transport 125. ARC1 110 a, associated with an IMAP/POPserver, has subscribed to receive this information. After receiving theinformation, ARC1 110 a transforms the information to POP responses andforwards them through the server to the IMAP/POP client of the wirelesssubscriber.

In yet another example of the operation of the communications system, awireless subscriber may receive a value added message. In this example,a value added message service generates a new message for a subscriber.The value added message service may need confirmation of messagedelivery so that the wireless network provider can bill the wirelesssubscriber. As such, a short message peer to peer primitive with aregistered delivery flag is sent to ARC1 110 a. In this example, ARC1110 a extracts the destination address, origination address, and anyadditional information necessary, and then publishes a subscriberlook-up on network transport 125. If any passwords are required for adestination or distribution list, then these can also be sent in a querypublished on network transport 125. In this example, RAVE 130 hassubscribed for these subscriber look-up requests. RAVE 130 receives thelook-up requests and performs an alias look-up and a validation requestto connected routing and validation databases and user alias databases.This alias look-up and validation request may be performed using apublish and subscribe protocol or any other convenient protocol.

RAVE 130 then publishes the extracted list, the associated device types,any disallowed destinations, and any other pertinent information to theoriginating ARC, in this case ARC1 110 a, in the destination field. Inthis manner, RAVE 130 publishes this information on network transport125 with its destination as ARC1 110 a. In another aspect, RAVE 130publishes this information on network transport 125 with a subject towhich all ARCs subscribe. In this manner, RAVE 130 may use a publish andsubscribe protocol to communicate with ARC1 110 a and other ARCentities. ARC1 110 a has subscribed for this information and receivesthe list, device type, disallowed destinations, and other informationand proceeds to publish on network transport 125 the message data withthe extracted destinations and associated device types. ARC1 110 a mayalso return failed destinations to the originating value added messageservice.

In this example, DART1 145 a and ARC2 110 b have subscribed for thismessage. For example, a device type of SMSC associated with ARC2 110 bmay be included in the destination. ARC2 110 b may then convert thismessage to an SNPP and perform any transformations required based onmessage type, device type, and SMSC type. DART1 145 a, via backbone datastore transport 108, may then publish this message to MDS1 150 a forstorage. MDS1 150 a stores the message. MDS1 150 a may return theconfirmation of storage by publishing it on backbone data storetransport 108. DART1 145 a, by subscribing to confirmation messages,receives the confirmation and publishes it on network transport 125.ARC1 110 a, by subscribing to this type of confirmation message,receives the confirmation message from network transport 125. In thisexemplary embodiment, a confirmation is then forwarded from message datastore transport 116, via backbone data store transport 108, DART1 145 a,and network transport 125, to ARC1 110 a via a publish and subscribeprotocol, point to point protocol, or any other convenient method.

The SMSC acknowledges receiving the SMPP message and returns anacknowledgement. In this example, ARC2 110 b, associated with the SMSC,publishes this acknowledgement on network transport 125. DART2 145 blistens for this acknowledgment and, based on the originating address,adds this acknowledgement to the stored transaction in MDS1 150 a. Thiscan occur, for example, by DART2 145 b receiving from network transport125 the acknowledgement and then publishing the acknowledgement onbackbone data store transport 108. MDS1 150 a, because it subscribes tothe acknowledgment associated with this particular wireless subscriber,receives the acknowledgement and adds it to the stored transaction.

MDS1 150 a may then return a completed transaction message by publishingit on backbone data store transport 108. DART2 145 b may then receivethis completed transaction message and publish it on network transport125. The completed transaction message may then be received by ARC2 110b associated with the SMSC. In this manner, the SMSC can receiveconfirmation of delivery and generate a receipt. This receipt may thenproceed through ARC2 110 b to network transport 125. In this manner,ARC2 110 b, after performing any necessary translation functions, maypublish the receipt on network transport 125. DART2 145 b, in thisexample, has subscribed to receive the receipt published on networktransport 125. DART2 145 b, after receiving the receipt, publishes it onbackbone data store 108. MDS1 150 a, because it is associated with aparticular wireless user, adds the receipt to the message transaction.In this manner, the status of the message can be updated in MDS1 150 a.

Operation of the DART

FIG. 16 illustrates a flow chart of the operation of a DART elementconsistent with the principles of the present invention. In thisembodiment, the DART element is capable of performing several differentfunctions related to the storage and maintenance of messages.

At stage 1605, a DART element receives a request from the networktransport bus. As discussed, this request may be specifically addressedto a particular DART in a point to point protocol or may contain asubject header in a publish and subscribe protocol. Upon receiving therequest, the DART element then determines which function to execute. Atstage 1610, the DART element determines whether the request is a storerequest. Typically, a string of characters in the request heading or therequest itself denominates the type of request. For example, a requestcontaining the string “DELIVER_STORE” indicates that the request is todeliver a message and to store it. In another example, the string“STORE” contained in a request indicates to a DART entity that therequest is a store request.

If the DART entity determines that the request is a store request, thenthe DART entity performs a store function as indicated in stage 1615. Ifthe request is not a store request, then the DART entity proceeds tostage 1620 to determine if the request is a query request. Like thestore request, the DART entity examines the request, for example, forthe string “QUERY.” If the request is a query request, then the DARTentity performs a query function as depicted in stage 1625. If not, theDART entity proceeds to stage 1630 to determine if the request is acancel request. If it is, then the DART entity performs a cancelfunction as depicted in stage 1635. If not, the DART entity, as depictedin stage 1640, determines whether the request is an external mailrequest. If it is, then the DART entity performs an external mailfunction. If not, then the DART entity, as illustrated in stage 1650,determines if the request is any other type of request. If it is, thenthe DART entity performs the requested function. Otherwise, the DARTentity performs an error handling function.

In this manner, the DART entity determines the type of request andperforms the associated function. FIG. 16 is merely an example of a fewdifferent types of requests performed by the DART entity as many otherfunctions are within the scope of the present invention. For example,the DART entity may perform specific lookup requests by accessing anassociated MDS and returning specific data. Likewise, in error handlingstage 1660, the DART entity may perform several different functions. Forexample, the DART entity may report the error to other network entitiessuch as the LAMB.

FIG. 17 illustrates the receipt of a request by a DART entity consistentwith the principles of the present invention. In this fashion, FIG. 17is an exemplary embodiment of stage 1605, receive request from networktransport bus, of FIG. 16. At stage 1705, a monitor daemon in the DARTmonitors traffic on the network transport bus. At stage 1710, the daemonexamines a header of a message on the network transport bus to determineif the subject heading is one that is for a DART. For example, thesubject heading may contain the string, “STORE” which indicates that therequest is a store request to be handled by a DART. If the subjectaddress is not a DART subject address, then the DART daemon continues tomonitor traffic on the network bus. If the subject address is a DARTsubject, then the DART parses the request as illustrated in stage 1715.

At stage 1720, the DART determines whether the request contains a DARTspecific address. For example, a request may contain a subject followedby a specific DART address such as “ . . . STORE.DART1 . . . . ” In thiscase, the specific DART address is “DART1” which indicates that therequest is directed specifically to the addressed DART, DART1. If therequest does not contain a specific DART address, then the request isassigned to a DART entity. In alternate embodiments, the first DART toreceive the request processes it. In yet another embodiment, theassignment of a request to a DART may be based upon load information. Ifthe request contains a DART specific address, then the addressed DARTreads the request as depicted in stage 1730.

Likewise, after a request is assigned in stage 1725, a DART reads therequest in stage 1730. The DART then parses the request as illustratedin stage 1735. In parsing the request, the DART may strip out a subjectheading, addressing information, and message content. The flow thenproceeds to the determination of the type of request explained withregard to FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a DART entityperforming a store function consistent with the principles of thepresent invention. In exemplary stage 1805, the DART receives from thenetwork transport the message that is to be stored. The DART, asdepicted in stage 1810, examines the message header, content, orappended information to determine if it contains an address for aspecific MDS. For example, a header contained with the message maycontain the address of a specific MDS, such as “MDS1.” If the messageheader, content, or appended information does not contain a specific MDSaddress, then the DART, as illustrated in stage 1820, determines whichMDS is to store the message.

The DART accomplishes this assignment function in any of a number ofways. For example, the DART may store the message on an MDS thatcontains the messages for a particular subscriber. If the messageheader, content, or appended information contains a specific MDSaddress, then the DART, as illustrated in stage 1830, places the messageon the backbone datastore transport. Likewise, after assigning an MDS instage 1820, the DART places the message on the backbone datastoretransport as depicted in stage 1830. The message is received and storedby the designated MDS in stage 1835. In stage 1835, the MDS stores themessage and any accompanying information in a storage device.

In stage 1840, the DART produces a confirmation message and publishes iton the network transport. For example, in the case of a store request,the DART produces a confirmation message indicating that the message hasbeen stored. In exemplary stage 1845, the DART receives from the networktransport an update message request. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, this update message request may contain delivery informationfor the message. For example, if the message is the subject of a“DELIVER_STORE” request, then a delivery confirmation may accompany theupdate message request to indicate that the message has been delivered.In stage 1850, the DART places the update information on the backbonedatastore transport. In stage 1855, the same MDS that stored the messagereceives and stores the update information.

FIG. 19 illustrates a query request performed by a DART entityconsistent with the principles of the present invention. In exemplarystage 1905, the DART receives a query request from the networktransport. The DART, as depicted in stage 1910, examines the requestheader, content, or appended information to determine if it contains anaddress for a specific MDS. For example, a header accompanying therequest may contain the address of a specific MDS, such as “MDS1.” Ifthe request header, content, or appended information does not contain aspecific MDS address, then the DART, as illustrated in stage 1920,determines which MDS to query.

The DART accomplishes this function in any of a number of ways. Forexample, the DART may query the MDS that contains the messagesassociated with a particular subscriber. If the request header, content,or appended information contains a specific MDS address, then the DART,as illustrated in stage 1930, places the request on the backbonedatastore transport. Likewise, after determining which MDS to query instage 1920, the DART places the request on the backbone datastoretransport as depicted in stage 1930. The request is received by thedesignated MDS in stage 1935. In stage 1935, the MDS accesses therequested information from a storage device. In stage 1940, therequested information retrieved from the MDS is placed on the backbonedatastore transport. In stage 1945, the DART receives the requestedinformation and, in stage 1950, places the requested information on thenetwork transport.

FIG. 20 illustrates a cancel request performed by a DART entityconsistent with the principles of the present invention. In exemplarystage 2005, the DART receives a cancel request from the networktransport. The DART, as depicted in stage 2010, examines the requestheader, content, or appended information to determine if it contains anaddress for a specific MDS. For example, a header accompanying therequest may contain the address of a specific MDS, such as “MDS1.” Ifthe request header, content, or appended information does not contain aspecific MDS address, then the DART, as illustrated in stage 2020,determines which MDS contains the message that is to be canceled. If therequest header, content, or appended information contains a specific MDSaddress, then the DART, as illustrated in stage 2030, places the requeston the backbone datastore transport.

Likewise, after determining which MDS contains the message to becanceled in stage 2020, the DART places the request on the backbonedatastore transport as depicted in stage 2030. The request is receivedby the designated MDS in stage 2035. In stage 2040, the DART updates thecorresponding record in the MDS with the cancel message information. Forexample, the DART, in accessing the MDS with the particular message, maydelete the message from the MDS or may store information on the MDSindicating that the message is a canceled message. In stage 2045, theDART generates a confirmation message. This confirmation message, forexample, contains information indicating the successful cancellation ofthe message. In stage 2050, the confirmation message is placed on thenetwork transport.

FIG. 21 illustrates an external mail request performed by a DART entityconsistent with the principles of the present invention. In exemplarystage 2105, the DART receives an external mail request from the networktransport. In this example, a subscriber requests a message from adevice external to the wireless network. Upon receiving this request,the DART places a get subscriber data request on the network transportas illustrated in stage 2110. In stage 2115, the DART receives therequested subscriber information from the network transport. Forexample, the DART may request and receive an external email source for aparticular subscriber. In stage 2120, the DART places a get externalmail request on the network transport. In formulating this request, theDART uses subscriber information it obtained from the network transport.

After sending the get external mail request, the DART receives theexternal mail from the network transport in stage 2125. In stage 2130,the DART places the external mail on the backbone datastore transport,and in stage 2135, the MDS receives and stores the external mail. Forexample, the DART may direct storage of the external mail on an MDS thatcontains other messages associated with a particular subscriber. Instage 2145, the DART determines if there is additional external mailthat needs to be received. If so, then the DART receives the externalmail (stage 2125), places it on the backbone datastore transport (stage2130), and stores the mail in an MDS (stage 2135). If in stage 2145 noadditional mail exists, then the DART places a sub messages poppedmessage on the network transport as depicted in stage 2150. The DART, instage 2155, places the external mail messages on the network transport.

FIG. 22 illustrates an method for limiting access to a proprietary filesuch as a ring tone. In stage 2202, a subscriber downloads a proprietaryfile from a third party content provider. In this example, the downloadis initiated by a subscriber from a device that operates on the network.For example, a subscriber may download a proprietary midi file, graphicsfile, or ring tone from a content provider's internet site to a cellularphone. In another example, a subscriber may download a proprietary fileusing his personal computer. In this example, the proprietary filecontains copyrighted material, and therefore the subscriber may purchasethe proprietary download. The downloaded file itself can be in anyconvenient format.

The network detects the proprietary nature of the file in stage 2204.This detection occurs, for example, when the incoming ARC reads theorigination address of the download and accesses a database of knownproviders of proprietary files. In a further aspect of the invention,the RAVE or DART entities may read the origination address and compareit to addresses of content providers, for example, stored in an RVBD,UADB, or MIND database. In another example, the network provider mayhave agreements with third party content providers under which theproprietary nature of a download is communicated to the network. Thiscommunication can be appended to the download itself or can be sentseparately, for example, with a transaction identifier. In anotherembodiment, the various entities of the network, such as the ARC, RAVEor DART, may strip off a header from the incoming downloaded file, parseout information in that header, and determine that the download isproprietary. In yet another aspect of the invention, the content of thedownload itself may be checked for proprietary material against a set ofcommonly known proprietary objects. For example, many ring tones arecopyrighted and can be downloaded for a small fee.

The network itself may have access to a content provider's proprietaryring tones so that they can be compared to ring tones being downloadedby subscribers. In such a case, an incoming ARC is capable of detectingring tone files and converting them into a standard format, such as MIMEor XML. In other embodiments of the invention, other network entities,such as the DART or the RAVE, may be capable of ascertaining that aparticular downloaded file is a ring tone file.

In stage 2206, the incoming ARC translates the proprietary file into acommon format such as MIME or XML. This translation function, in thisexample, is performed so that the file can be stored in a databaseresiding within the network. For example, as depicted in stage 2208, aDART entity stores the converted downloaded file and accompanyinginformation in an MDS. The file, in this example, is stored in the MDSassociated with a particular subscriber or device. In such a case, thefile may be stored in a field in a table of a database. Various storagemethods, previously described, implement the routing and storage of theproprietary file. For example, the ARC that translates the file into acommon format may publish the file, along with subject information, on anetwork transport. A DART associated with that type of file or device orthat particular subscriber receives the file from a network transport.The DART, in this example, then stores that file along with accompanyinginformation in an MDS. As noted, the routing of the file from the ARC tothe MDS may occur with a publish and subscribe protocol or with a pointto point protocol.

In stage 2210, a flag contained in an MDS is associated with the file.This flag, for example, can be a flag that denotes that the file iscopyrighted. In this manner, a copyright flag, contained in an MDSdatabase, can be set to indicate that the file is copyrighted. The datastructure may be implemented to contain a copyright flag. In anotherembodiment, the message class portion or the class of service portion ofthe message store table may be used to indicate that a file isproprietary. The file and associated flag, for example, are storedtogether in the same database along with other message information. Forexample, a DART associated with the MDS containing a particularsubscriber's messages stores the proprietary file, in common format, inthe message store stable. The DART, in this example, also storesinformation about the message in the fields depicted in the tables. Forexample, the DART stores a description of the file, a transactionidentifier, the number of segments, and other information associatedwith the file in the message store table. In a similar manner, the DARTstores device-type information in a message portion of a device statustable. In this embodiment of the invention, the file itself along withaccompanying identifying information is stored in an MDS.

As shown in the examples of stages 2212 and 2214, when a subscriberaccesses the proprietary file stored in an MDS, the network limits theaccess to that file. In one embodiment of the invention, the DART entityrecognizes the proprietary or copyright flag associated with the fileand sends a communication directing other elements of the network toblock certain functions such as the forward function. For example, asubscriber may have purchased the use of a proprietary file for aparticular device. The subscriber stores the file in the network andaccesses it from that particular device. In this example, the devicecould be a pager, cellular phone, personal computer, or any other devicethat interfaces with the network. As such, the device may have thecapability of forwarding messages. If the subscriber attempts to forwardthe message from one device to another, the forward function is blockedby the network. In this manner, the network preserves the proprietarynature of the file. This blocking is accomplished, for example, bynetwork elements such as the ARC, RAVE, or DART that recognize theproprietary or copyright flag associated with the file. In such a case,these elements block certain functions, such as send, forward, or copy,so that the proprietary file is not duplicated.

In other embodiments, other network entities may be tasked with limitingaccess to the proprietary file. For example, the outgoing ARC mayrecognize the proprietary or copyright flag and block certain functions.In one example, a subscriber seeks to access a proprietary file from apersonal computer connected to the Internet. In this case, thesubscriber accesses the network via the Internet. As previouslydescribed, a subscriber can list messages stored in an MDS on a web pagedisplayed on that subscriber's personal computer. In one embodiment ofthe invention, a proprietary file may only be listed by name on thedisplayed web page with a notice that it is improper to copy the file.The web page may thus limit the subscriber access to the file. Forexample, a subscriber may only be able to view the file and not copy it.In this manner, a read only copy of the file may be transmitted from theMDS, through an associated DART, through an ARC for translation and outto a web page. In another embodiment, the web page may block otherfunctions such as the forward or send functions.

In another embodiment, a subscriber may have downloaded a proprietaryring tone to his cellular phone. Since cellular phones have a limitedamount of memory, the subscriber may store the ring tone on the network,for example in an MDS, for later use on the same phone. The subscriber,using the same phone, may then access the ring tone at a later date andreload it onto that phone. An MDS stores the ring tone itself and otherinformation such as the device to which it was first downloaded. In thismanner, the ring tone is associated with a particular device—in thiscase the cellular phone to which it was initially downloaded. Therefore,the network, in this example can limit access to the ring tone only tothe phone to which is was initially downloaded. However, if thesubscriber attempts to load the ring tone on a different device, theinformation stored in the MDS permits the network to block access to thering tone by that different device. In this manner, the networkpreserves the proprietary nature of a file.

FIG. 23 depicts a method for handling attachments to messages. In stage2302, a message addressed to a subscriber's wireless device contains anattached file. For example, an email message with an attachment is sentto a subscriber on his cellular phone, pager, blackberry, or otherwireless device. In this example, the attachment could be a MicrosoftWord document, Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, AutoCAD drawing, or anyother type of file that is not capable of being displayed on thewireless device. In such a case, the wireless device is not able tohandle the attached file.

In stage 2304, the wireless network detects the attachment. Thisdetection may be accomplished by numerous entities of the wirelessnetwork such as an ARC, a RAVE, or a DART. In one embodiment, an ARCentity upon receiving the message and attached file detects the presenceof the attached file. In another embodiment, the Mail Transfer Agent(MTA) or Mail Transfer Gateway (MTG) detects the attached file uponreceipt of the message and attached file from the Internet. In yetanother embodiment, a DART detects the attached file in the process ofstoring the message and attached file on an MDS.

The detection of the attached file, regardless of the entity responsiblefor detecting it, may be accomplished in numerous ways. In one example,the header of the message is read to discover that a file is attached.For example, an email message may contain a Microsoft Word document asan attachment. Information about the presence of the attachment may beincorporated into the header of the email message. A network entity,such as an ARC, DART, or MTA, in this example, reads and interprets themessage header. In this manner, the network entity detects the presence,and possibly the type, of the attachment. In another embodiment, anetwork entity determines the size of the incoming message andattachment. Since many attachments are large, the network entity mayassume that any incoming message that is of a sufficient size containsan attachment. For example, an email message may contain a pictureattachment that is two megabytes in size.

The network entity, such as an ARC, DART, MTG, or MTA, that receives theemail message and attachment may be able to estimate the size of theattachment. In yet another embodiment, a network entity may read theattachment itself to discover its type. In this example, the ARC thatreceives the message and attachment converts both into a standard formatsuch as MIME or XML for storage on the network. The receiving ARC intranslating the attachment reads the type of attachment. For example, anARC that receives an email message with a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet asan attachment converts that email message to a common format. Inaddition, that ARC or another ARC that specifically handles anattachment of that type converts the attachment to a common format forstorage in an MDS.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, a network entity, such as anARC, RAVE, DART, MTG, or MTA, detects the type of attachment. In thisexample, a message with an attachment is received by a network entity.That network entity detects the attachment type, for example, by readingthe message header, reading the message itself, reading the attachment,reading information associated with the message, reading informationassociated with the attachment, or in any other convenient method. Inthis example, the network ascertains the type of attachment so that itcan be sent to the proper forwarding address.

In stage 2306, the wireless network accesses the subscriber'sinformation for a forwarding address. In this example, a network obtainsthe forwarding address from a database residing on the network. Forexample, a RAVE entity may access a UADB or RVDB for the forwardingaddress associated with that subscriber.

In one aspect of the invention, a subscriber is able to associatedifferent forwarding addresses with different types of attachments. Forexample, a subscriber may associate a fax machine for attachments thatcontain text and a color printer for attachments that contain pictures.In another embodiment, a subscriber may be able to designate aforwarding address after being notified by the network that he hasreceived a message with an attachment. In this manner, the network mayinform the subscriber, possibly on his wireless device, that he hasreceived a message with an attachment of a certain type. The network,via one or more of its entities, may then prompt the subscriber for aforwarding address. This address can be in the form of an alias storedin an database residing on the network. For example, a subscriber issent a message with a database attachment. The network informs thesubscriber of the message and the attachment type and prompts thesubscriber for a destination address. This prompt, for example, appearson the subscriber's pager. The subscriber sees the prompt and enters asa forwarding address the alias “fax.” The wireless network recognizesthe alias “fax” as a specific address associated with the subscriber'sfax hook. In one embodiment, the wireless network accesses asubscriber's profile information stored in a UADB, RVDB, or MIND andretrieves the forwarding address associated with the alias “fax.” Theattachment is then forwarded to the subscriber's fax hook.

In stage 2308, a DART entity stores the message and attachment in anMDS. In one embodiment of the invention, the message and attachment,converted into a common format by an ARC, is published on a networktransport. A DART associated with the subscriber, for example, receivesthe message and attachment and then stores it in an associated MDS. Asdetailed previously, the message may occupy one portion of an MDS, theattachment may occupy another portion of the MDS, and accompanyinginformation may be associated with the message and attachment in theMDS. For example, the attachment type may be stored in the MDS alongwith the attachment.

In stage 2310, the message and attachment are sent to the forwardingaddress. In one aspect of the invention, the message and attachment areretrieved from an MDS and published on the network transport by the DARTwith a forwarding address. In this example, an ARC receives the message,attachment, and forwarding address and performs translation functions.The receiving ARC is associated with the particular device to which themessage and attachment are forwarded. For example, the network maycontain an ARC that performs translation functions associated with a faxmachine. In this manner, an attachment may be converted by an ARC from astandard format, such as MIME or XML, into a format suitable for a faxmachine. In this case, the subscriber is forwarding the attachment to afax machine. After translation, the ARC, for example, sends thetranslated attachment to an MTA along with the forwarding address. TheMTA may then send the attachment, in a suitable format, to the faxmachine.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, an attachment maybe held in the MTA and not translated into a common format. For example,an incoming email message with an attachment may be stored temporarilyin an MTA. The message itself may be sent to an ARC for translation. Inthis example, the message, but not the attachment is processed by thenetwork. An ARC receives the message, translates it, and places it on anetwork transport, for example, with a validation request. A RAVEreceives the validation request and validates the destination addressfor the email message. In this case, the email message is properlyaddressed to a subscriber's wireless device. The RAVE returns avalidation response to the network transport, possibly with theoriginating ARC as the destination for the response. In this manner, thecommunication between the RAVE and the ARC may be based on a point topoint protocol. In another embodiment, the RAVE may simply publish theresponse on the network transport with a subject such as “validationresponse.” In a publish and subscribe protocol, all ARCs connected tothe network transport subscribe to the subject “validation response” andall ARCs look at the response. The originating ARC receives the responseafter looking at information the response contains. In this fashion, theoriginating ARC processes the response to determine that the response isintended for it.

After receiving the validation response, the originating ARC, in thisexample, publishes on the network transport a message with the subject“get forward address.” This message, in this example, is received by aRAVE. The RAVE accesses the subscriber's profile, stored for example ina UADB or RVDB, to obtain an address to forward the attachment. The RAVEreturns the address to the originating ARC. The ARC passes the addressto the MTA so that the MTA can forward the attachment to thesubscriber's specified forwarding address. In this example, theattachment is not stored within the network but is instead sent to adevice at a forwarding address.

In stage 2312, the subscriber receives an acknowledgement that theattachment has been forwarded. In this example, the network hasforwarded the attachment and generated an acknowledgement message. Thisacknowledgement message is sent to the subscriber, for example, on hiswireless device. In another embodiment of the invention, a subscribermay be able to designate the type of acknowledgement he receives as wellas the destination for that acknowledgement. In this example, thesubscriber may receive an acknowledgement message on his wireless deviceand also at his personal email account. In yet another aspect of thecurrent invention, the acknowledgement message may contain informationabout the attachment, the successful receipt of the attachment by thedevice to which it was forwarded, or any other relevant information. Inanother aspect of the invention, the subscriber may not receive anacknowledgement message.

The Mail Transfer Gateway (MTG)

FIG. 24 illustrates the Mail Transfer Gateway 170 interfaced to themessaging infrastructure 100 in an exemplary embodiment consistent withthe present invention. Mail transfer gateway 170 interfaces withelements of the messaging infrastructure 100 via network transport bus125 and BITBUS 132. In this example, DART 145 a interfaces with MDS1 150a and MDS 150 b through message transport bus 108. Additionally, DART145 a interfaces with RAVE 130, ARC1 110 a, and ARC 2440 through networktransport bus 125. Likewise, MDS1 150 a and MDS 150 b interface withDART 145 a through message transport 108. In this fashion, messagetransport 108 may serve to transfer data from MDS1 150 a and MDS 150 bto DART 145 a. In addition, data can be routed from DART 145 a to MDS1150 a and MDS 150 b through network transport 108.

RAVE 130 interfaces with DART 145 a through network transport bus 125.RAVE 130 interfaces with RVDB 135 and RVDB2 2470 through BITBUS 132. Inthis manner, network transport bus 125, for example, acts as acommunications channel between DART 145 a and RAVE 130. Likewise, BITBUS132 acts as a communications channel between RAVE 130 and RVDB 135 aswell as RVDB2 2470.

RVDB 135 and RVDB2 2470 interact with RAVE 130 via BITBUS 132. RVDB 135and RVDB2 2470 are also interconnected to RAVE 2450 and UADB 2460 viaBITBUS 132. BITBUS 132 serves as a communications channel between RVDBs136 and 140 and RAVEs 128 and 2450 as well as UADB 2460.

ARC1 110 a interfaces with DART 145 a via network transport bus 125.ARC1 110 a is interconnected to RAVE 130 through network transport bus125. In this manner, network transport bus 125 serves as acommunications channel between ARC1 110 a and DART 145 a as well as RAVE130. Additionally, ARC1 110 a interfaces with short message servicecenter 105. In one embodiment of the present invention, short messageservice 105 is responsible for delivering messages to mobile devicesusing a store and forward approach.

MTG 170 serves as an e-mail gateway to a data network. In this fashion,all inbound and outbound customer internet traffic may use mail transfergateway 170.

MTA 2420 may support simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) andcommunicate with other MTAs (not shown) and post offices (not shown) tosend and receive mail messages to and from the Internet. MTA 2420 mayreside outside of a network firewall depicted by firewall 2430. In thismanner, firewall 2430 serves to protect the remainder of the messagingnetwork infrastructure 100.

In one embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention, MTA 2420 may perform validation on origination addresses froma RAVE entity such as RAVE 2450 while also performing White list andBlacklist lookups. In this manner, MTA 2420 may perform some or all ofthe validation procedures that, for example, RAVE 2450 may be capable ofperforming. MTA 2420 may utilize one or more database protocols tovalidate and readdress e-mail messages.

MTA 2420 may perform validating functions using data stored in UADB2460. UADB 2460 is a replicated database which contains a complete setor a subset of data contained in, for example, the MIND database (shownin FIG. 1). In this example, UADB 2460, which is a replicated database,provides customized message handling information on a per subscriberbasis. UADB 2460 may contain, for example, customer aliases, Whitelists, Blacklists, distribution lists, language filters, messageformatting options, and other aspects of a subscriber's profile.Subscribers may be able to update their profile via an Internet portal,through the subscriber configuration API, or through other means. UADB2460 may receive updates from other network databases.

Data contained in UADB 2460 may be stored in a database contained withinMTA 2420. In this example, UADB 2460 may not be present or may beincorporated within MTA 2420. In this manner, MTA 2420 may be capable ofstoring or caching subscriber information. Subscriber information may bepermanently or temporarily stored on MTA 2420. In a further embodimentof the present invention, MTA 2420 and UADB 2460 may be separated byfirewall 2430 in order to provide security.

MTA 2420 may provide anti-spamming functions. For example, MTA 2420 mayinclude the capability to allow or bar specific Internet IP addresses,domains, and hosts from delivering e-mail to MTA 2420. In this example,MTA 2420 may be capable of silently dropping incoming e-mail messageswithout further delivery requirements. MTA 2420 may be capable offiltering, reducing, or eliminating unwanted and unsolicited e-mailsfrom reaching messaging subscribers.

MTA 2420 may support many different anti-spamming techniques. Forexample, MTA 2420 may be capable of validation based upon a sender'se-mail address. In this manner, MTA 2420 may be capable of blocking spammessages from a particular e-mail address. Further, MTA 2420 may becapable of limiting the number of connections made by a host per second.Further, MTA 2420 may be capable of accessing a national database ofknown spammers or other content protection databases. MTA 2420 may becapable of accessing a system-wide Blacklist to deny service topurveyors of spam. MTA 2420 may be capable of protecting existing domainnames of a particular messaging provider. Further, MTA 2420 may becapable of determining and blocking spamming by use of war dialingattacks. In addition, MTA 2420 may be capable of detecting spam messagesbased upon the content of an e-mail using a list of regular expressions.MTA 2420 may be capable of detecting previously unidentified spammessages based upon the volume of similar e-mail from an originatingaddress. Further, MTA 2420 may be capable of verifying the text of ane-mail for spamming. In one embodiment of the present invention, thisverification process may include a check sum or a counter for e-mailtext that is processed, for example, by removing white space, byconverting e-mail text to lower case, or by common keywords.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, a messaging subscribermay be capable of altering his user profile to avoid receiving spame-mail messages. In one exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention, MTA 2420 may allow a user to formatthe messages he receives. For example, a messaging subscriber may notwish to have the header of a text message or e-mail displayed on hismessaging device. In such a case, MTA 2420 may allow a messagingsubscriber to format the messages he receives so that the header is notdisplayed. Other configuration options are within the scope of operationof MTA 2420. For example, a messaging subscriber may also be able toconfigure the messages he sends so that they are also displayed on areceiving device in a particular format.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, a messaging subscribermay be able to configure a profile so that he receives message segmentsone at a time. In standard SMS format, message segments contain 160characters per segment. In this manner, a messaging subscriber whoreceives a message which contains more than 160 characters may receivemore than one message segment. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, a messaging subscriber may be able to alter a user profile sothat he receives only one message segment at a time. This could beadvantageous because messaging subscribers are typically charged foreach segment received. A messaging subscriber who receives the firstsegment of a multi-segment message may not wish to receive subsequentsegments. In such a case, MTA 2420 may provide that a messagingsubscriber receives only the first message segment of a multi-segmentmessage.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, MTA 2420 may supportand host multiple domain names with each domain providing separate mailhandling capabilities. For example, a domain name may be associated witha certain set of mail handling rules. These rules, for example, mayinclude stripping the header information from an e-mail message,supplying only the text of an e-mail message with sender information,replacing a sender address with an 18-digit address, replacing theentire message text with a canned message depending upon the address ofthe sender, or any other mail handling process. In this manner, amessaging subscriber may be able to configure the receipt of e-mailmessages based on their origination address.

MTA 2420 may provide the ability to allow mobile devices or messagingdevices to reply to e-mail messages. An exemplary embodiment of MTA 2420may enable a “reply to all” functionality for a two-way messaging datadevice. In a further example, MTA 2420 may support delivery and readreceipts of e-mail messages. In yet another embodiment of the presentinvention, MTA 2420 may be capable of handling replies to messages thatare addressed to a group.

In one example, when an e-mail is received, the originator's address maybe captured by MTA 2420. This origination address may be sent via ARC2440 to network transport bus 125. The final destination may reply tothis e-mail. Network transport bus 125 may then be configured such thatthis reply message is delivered to the originating mail transfer gateway(MTG), such as MTG 170. MTG 170 could then extract the original e-mailaddress and forward the e-mail to MTA 2420. From this point, MTA 2420may forward the e-mail through firewall 2410 to the Internet 175.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, MTA 2420 may providethe ability to allow a mobile device to send the same message tomultiple recipients. In this manner, a messaging subscriber may be ableto define a distribution list, which may be stored in UADB 2460 or itsreplica, for use by MTA 2420 in sending an e-mail to the Internet 175. Amessaging subscriber's distribution list, for example, could be anumeric list, an alphanumeric list, or any other type of list. Forexample, a messaging subscriber may denote a particular word that can beassociated with various destination addresses. These destinationaddresses could correspond to messaging devices, standard Internete-mail addresses, or any other message receipt location. In thisexample, when a messaging subscriber uses the specified word in sendingan e-mail message, that e-mail message could then be sent to all of thedestination addresses associated with that word. A messaging subscribercould denote the word “home” to be associated with three differentdestination addresses. In this example, when the messaging subscribersends a message to “home,” that e-mail message would go to the threeassociated destination addresses. These destination addresses maycorrespond to any number of devices.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, MTA 360 may providethe ability to readdress outgoing e-mail based upon a subscriber's aliaspreference which may be contained in UADB 2460. For example, a messagingsubscriber who sends a message from his messaging device may wish tohave that message appear as though it came from a different originationaddress. In this manner, an e-mail sent from a messaging device mayappear to its recipient to have been sent from, for example, a personalcomputer. A messaging subscriber may send a message from his mobilephone to a destination e-mail address. The recipient of this messagewould then see that the message came from a mobile phone. That is, inthis example, the origination address for that message would be a mobilephone.

In one embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention, MTA 2420 may be able to remap this origination address sothat it appears that the message came from a different device. In thismanner, the recipient of the message would not see the mobile phone asbeing the origination address. The origination address, for example,appears as an alias which could be a standard Internet e-mail address.In this manner, the recipient of the message, in replying to themessage, would reply to the messaging subscriber's e-mail address. Inthis fashion, the reply e-mail would not go to the messagingsubscriber's mobile phone, but would instead be routed to the aliasorigination address.

In one embodiment of the present invention, MTA 2420 may supportstandard e-mail protocols, such as SMTP, LDAP, IMAP, or any other e-mailprotocol. Further, MTA 2420 may support standard API interfaces such asMAPI.

MTA 2420 may be capable of returning various routing information aboute-mails. For example, MTA 2420 may provide alias look-up or extractionof destination addresses for a given alias. MTA 2420 may interface withUADB 2460 or its replica in order to perform this look-up or extractionfunction. In another example, MTA 2420 may be capable of looking up adistribution list. This distribution list may be stored within MTA 2420,within UADB 2460, or in any other network database. In addition, MTA2420 may provide e-mail addressing as well as alias or types of aliases.In a further embodiment, MTA 2420 may be capable of extractingvalidation information for a given destination address. MTA 2420 mayperform this extraction function by looking up validation information ona database such as UADB 2460.

In an exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention, MTA 2420 may provide an appropriate return message to asender's e-mail address depending upon a particular error condition. Forexample, if a messaging subscriber sends an e-mail message and thate-mail message does not reach the destination address, then MTA 2420 mayprovide that messaging subscriber with an appropriate error message. Inthis manner, MTA 2420 may be capable of handling SMTP error conditions.In a further aspect of the present invention, MTA 2420 may be capable ofinforming the originator of an e-mail of negative acknowledgements, forexample, by a messaging device or by an Internet e-mail. Further, MTA2420 may be capable of sending error messages received from the Internetback to the originator of the e-mail message. These error messages mayinclude, for example, the cause of the error, the destination, and theoriginal message body. MTA 2420 may also be capable of sending anotification to the e-mail originator that a certain operation, such asa forward or fax operation, has not been successful.

MTA 2420 may contain processing rules. For example, MTA 2420 mayadminister White lists and Blacklists. Blacklists are used to blockincoming e-mails from delivery to users. White lists are lists ofacceptable or preferred e-mail addresses. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, a messaging subscriber is able to configure his orher White list and/or Blacklist. Mail transfer gateway 170 may alsoprovide the capability of creating and managing a system-wide Blacklist,for example, to control spamming. Mail transfer gateway 170 may alsoprovide the capability of creating and managing a system-wide Whitelist.

In one embodiment of the present invention, mail transfer gateway 170may be capable of specifying a future delivery time for e-mail messages.For example, e-mail messages may be delivered to subscribers as theyarrive at MTG 170. MTG 170 may submit e-mail messages to networktransport bus 125 sequentially. In this manner, e-mail messages may bequeued up in the messaging network for transmission to messagingsubscribers. In one embodiment, MTG 170 may be able to schedule deliverytimes to messaging subscribers. In this manner, an e-mail messagereceived by MTA 2420 may not be delivered immediately to networktransport bus 125. MTG 170 may schedule the delivery of this e-mailmessage from MTA 2420 to network transport bus 125 to occur at aspecified time. In one aspect of the current invention, a messagingsubscriber may be able to specify these delivery times.

MTA 2420 may support virus detection for messaging devices and may beable to provide virus protection. Further, MTA 2420 may be capable ofblocking specific types of messages from unknown sites or from specificsites. MTG 170, for example, may support multiple NIC cards foradditional security. In addition to firewalls 2430 and 2410, othersecurity measures may be implemented with MTG 170.

MTA 2420 may provide the ability to forward a message and anaccompanying attachment to an e-mail address, fax server, or otherdevice. In this manner, a user operating a mobile device may receive ane-mail message with an attachment. The attachment may be of such a sizeor of such a format as to be unviewable on that messaging device. Inthis example, a user may wish to send the e-mail attachment or thee-mail along with the attachment to another device to be viewed,printed, or stored. MTA 2420 may be capable of providing this forwardingfunction.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, MTG 170 may providemultiple interfaces between MTA 2420 and various ARC, RAVE, and LAMBentities. In this manner, a single MTA, such as MTA 2420, may interfacewith multiple RAVE, ARC, and LAMB entities. An exemplary embodiment ofMTA 2420 of the present invention may support LDAP, work across afirewall, and use multiple LDAP connections for redundancy.

MTG 170 and its subcomponent MTA 2420, may support various protocols.For example, MTA 2420 may be utilized in conjunction with multiple WEGsand may support SMTP to SMPP conversion as well as connection to SMSCs.Further, MTA 2420 may support transformation protocols such as, forexample, SMTP, SMPP, XML, or any other convenient protocol. In a furtherembodiment of the present invention, MTA 2420 may be operational via aTelnet port. Further, MTA 2420 may implement a secure log-in procedure.

ARC1 110 a and ARC 2440 may forward e-mail messages to network transportbus 125. In one configuration, the delivering ARC, such as ARC 2440, maybe aware that these are e-mail destined messages and format themaccordingly. For example, ARC1 110 a and ARC 2440 may extract adestination address, extract a subject, and extract the body from thetext payload of an SMS message. For SMS messages, the e-mail destinationaddress as defined in Internet standards may be the first continuous setof alphanumeric characters of the message up to the first space orblank. In this manner, ARCs 110 a and 2440 may be able to parse out adestination address from an e-mail.

ARCs 110 a and 2440 may be capable of formatting an e-mail message basedon the final device type. If a device is an SMS handset that does notsupport concatenated messages, then ARC1 110 a or ARC 2440 may split themessage into segments or truncate the message. If the e-mail message issegmented, then a segment identification number, maximum number ofsegments, and current segment may be included in each message fordelivery. In this manner, an ARC, such as ARC 2440, may be capable offormatting a segmented message as well as handling multiple segments ofa multi-segment message. If a messaging device does not support e-mailattachments, then an ARC, such as ARC 2440, may include a remarkindicating the number and type of attachments. In this manner, the ARCentity, such as ARC 2440, may be capable of handling message attachmentsbased on particular device types.

FIG. 25 illustrates a flow chart of the operation of an MTA elementconsistent with the principles of the present invention. In thisembodiment, the MTA element is capable of receiving an external messageand performing various functions relating to that message. At stage2510, the MTA receives an external message. This message, for example,is an email message from the internet. At stage 2520, the MTA performs avalidation function on the message. In this manner, the MTA ascertainswhether the message is one that is destined for a subscriber. At stage2530, the MTA performs various anti-spamming functions to prevent thedelivery of unwanted messages. At stage 2540, the MTA optionallyperforms formatting functions on the incoming message. For example, theMTA places the message in a format desired by the subscriber to whom themessage is directed.

FIG. 26 illustrates the execution of a validation function by an MTAentity consistent with the principles of the present invention. At stage2610, the MTA reads the incoming message, and at stage 2620, the MTAparses out an address from the header. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, the MTA parses out the destination address from an emailmessage. In this embodiment, the destination address is in a standardformat of username@domainname.com. At stage 2630, the MTA determineswhether the destination address is valid. For example, the MTA mayextract the username and compare it to usernames contained in a databaseof subscribers. In this manner, the MTA determines if the destinationaddress corresponds to a subscriber so that the message can bedelivered. If it does, then the flow proceeds to stage 2530, performanti-spamming function. If it does not, then the message is dropped asindicated in stage 2640. Optionally, the MTA generates an undeliverablemessage that is returned along with the message itself to theorigination address.

FIG. 27 is an illustration of an exemplary anti-spamming functionperformed by the MTA consistent with the principles of the presentinvention. At stage 2705, the MTA reads the message, and at stage 2710,the MTA parses out the originating address. At stage 2720, the MTAdetermines if the originating address appears on a blacklist. Forexample, the MTA accesses a system-wide blacklist and a subscriber'sblacklist to determine if the originating address is one to which accessshould be denied. If the originating address is blacklisted, then accessis denied and the message is not delivered as illustrated in stage 2760.Alternately, the MTA may generate an undeliverable message and return italong with the message itself to the originating address. If theoriginating address is not blacklisted, then the MTA determines whetherthe originating address is the address of a known spammer as depicted instage 2730. For example, the MTA may access a database of known spammersto determine if the originating address is that of a spammer. If it is,then the flow proceeds to stage 2760 and the message is not delivered.If it is not, then the MTA determines if the number of connections fromthe originating address has exceeded a specified amount as illustratedin stage 2740.

For example, a spammer may send thousands of messages to a network in ashort period of time. The MTA detects the frequency of contact from aspecific originating address or domain and blocks access if thatfrequency exceeds predefined limits as indicated in stage 2760. If thefrequency does not exceed the specified limits, then the MTA determinesif the message is a spam message based on its content as illustrated instage 2750. For example, the MTA may read the content of a message andsearch for common words and phrases that may indicate a repetitiousmessage. If the MTA determines that the message is spam based on itscontent, then the message is not delivered and access is denied as shownin stage 2760. If not, then the flow proceeds to stage 2540 in which theMTA performs formatting functions.

Master IT & Network Database (MIND)

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the Master IT andNetwork Database (MIND) is responsible for providing subscriberinformation to other network elements. The subscriber information, forexample, can be used for routing messages, for the validation ofservices, and for enabling other data services.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the MIND may function tocentralize existing short message service center subscription databases.A short message service center is a wireless network entity responsiblefor delivering messages to mobile devices using a store and forwardapproach. In addition, the MIND may provide database replication anddistribution. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the MINDmay be capable of receiving in bulk existing subscriber data including,for example, distribution lists, black lists, white lists, and aliasaddresses. The MIND may also support interaction with a Routing andValidation Entity (RAVE). In a further embodiment of the presentinvention, the MIND may support Lightweight Directory Access Protocol(LDAP) as required by other components of the wireless infrastructure100.

Consistent with the principles of the present invention, one embodimentof the MIND may act as a central storage database for accountinformation, device information, network information, messagingattributes, and various other information pertinent to wirelesscommunications. In this fashion, the MIND serves as a centralizedstorage point for various wireless subscriber information in a wirelessnetwork architecture. As a component of a wireless network architecture,the MIND may interact with other components of the architecture such asthe RAVE and the Adaptive Routing Concentrator (ARC). In a furtherembodiment, the MIND may be compatible with other elements of a wirelessnetwork architecture.

The MIND may be comprised of a single database or a series ofinterconnected databases. In this manner, the MIND is scalable,redundant, and expandable. The MIND may be located in any convenientlocation so that it is accessible by other elements of the wirelessnetwork infrastructure 100. Various database architectures may be usedto implement the MIND. These architectures are within the scope ofknowledge available to one skilled in the art.

FIG. 28 depicts a MIND database 137 in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the principles of the present invention. Referring toFIG. 28, the MIND database 137 resides within a messaging infrastructure100 and can be implemented with a single database or over multipledatabases. In this example, the MIND database 137 interfaces withinformation technology database business logic 2804. In this embodiment,information technology database business logic 2804 allows access todata stored in the MIND database 137 by the messaging infrastructure100. In this example, information technology database business logic2804 contains business rules and an application programming interface toaccess the data in the MIND database 137. The information technologydatabase business logic 2804 interfaces via a communications channelwith provisioning system 2808. In addition, information technologydatabase business logic 2804 interfaces with web interface 2812 via acommunications channel. Data service application 2862 may interface withinformation technology database business logic 2804.

Web interface 2812 is accessible by subscribers 2858 via communicationschannel 2854. In one embodiment, communications channel 2854 cancomprise either a cable-based or wireless Internet communicationschannel. For example, wireless subscribers 2858 may be able to interfacevia web interface 2812 with IT business logic 2804 and MIND database 137via a web page on a personal computer. Alternatively, wirelesssubscribers 2858, through wireless communications channel 2854, may beable to interface with web interface 2812 and IT database business logic2804, to alter various fields in the MIND database 137. A user friendlyweb interface 2812 may be provided for wireless subscribers 2858 toconfigure personal profiles. Web interface 2812 may include applicationsthat utilize subscriber information, such as a customer self-managementsite.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, wirelesssubscribers 2858, via web interface 2812, may be able to alter a userprofile comprising fields of a replica of MIND database 137. In thismanner, wireless subscribers 2858 may not have direct access to thecentralized storage facility of MIND database 137. Instead, wirelesssubscribers may be isolated from the centralized storage of MINDdatabase 137 but may be permitted access to a replica of all or a subsetof the data contained in MIND database 137. This embodiment of thepresent invention may provide protection for centralized MIND database137 by denying direct access to wireless subscribers 2858. Incrementaland bulk update methods, described below, may then be used to updateMIND database 137 from one or more of its replicas.

Data service application 2862, in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 28,may communicate with MIND 137 via web interface 2812 and IT databasebusiness logic 2804. Alternately, data service application 2862 mayinterface with MIND database 137 via IT database business logic 2804. Inthis example, data service application 2862 can be a third partyapplication that provides data services to wireless subscribers 2858.These data applications may include targeted information, alerts,instant messages, or other services. Data service application 2862,provided by a third party, may use user profiles stored in MIND 137 fortheir data services operations. In this example, a customer may be ableto use the same credentials for user profile information to access alldata services offered both by a wireless provider and a third party.

For example, a username and password may be applicable both to awireless service provider as well as a third party application. In thisfashion, a wireless subscriber need only use a single username andpassword to access services of both a wireless service provider and athird party. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, dataservice application 2862 may interface with a replica of MIND database137. This replica may contain all or a subset of subscriber informationcontained in the fields of MIND database 137. Information such aswireless device type and other user preferences may also be used by dataservice application 2862 in order to configure the appropriate executionof a data service application.

In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, provisioningsystem 2808 interfaces with information technology database businesslogic. Provisioning system 2808 may also interface with a backboneprovisioning transport 2816. In this example, provisioning system 2808receives automated notifications of updates to subscriber informationand relays those updates to replica databases through a data distributor(not shown). In this manner, provisioning system 2808 serves as aportion of the information technology infrastructure 100 used to updatereplica databases such as network subscriber data replica 2872.

In this example, backbone provisioning transport 2816 interfaces withprovisioning system 2808. Backbone provisioning transport 2816 may alsointerface with network database business logic adapter 2828. In thisexample, backbone provisioning transport 2816 acts as a bus for thetransfer of data contained in the MIND database 137 to replica databasessuch as network subscriber data replica 2872.

In one embodiment of the present invention, network database businesslogic adapter 2828 interfaces with backbone provisioning transport.Likewise, network database business logic adapter 2828 interfaces withbackbone integration transport 132. In this example, network databasebusiness logic adapter 2828 uses business rules and an applicationprogramming interface to access subscriber databases in the network. Thebusiness rules and application programming interface of network databasebusiness logic adapter 2828 may be common with those of IT databasebusiness logic 2804. In an alternate embodiment, the business rules andapplication programming interface of network database business logicadapter 2828 may be different than those of IT database business logic2804.

Backbone integration transport 132 communicates with network databasebusiness logic 2852, 2864, and 2876. In alternate embodiments of thepresent invention, any number of network database business logicmodules, such as network database business logic 2852, may be connectedvia bus connectors to backbone integration transport 132. In thisexample, backbone integration transport 132 is a bus that is used tointegrate applications and network elements across the network.

Network database business logic 2852 communicates with RVDB 135. Networkdatabase business logic 2864 interfaces with network subscriber databasereplica 2872. Network database business logic 2876 interfaces withnetwork data distributor database 2884. Network database business logic2852, 2864, and 2876 may each contain business rules and applicationprogramming interfaces that can be used to access subscriber databasesin messaging infrastructure 100.

Network data distributor 2884 may contain data structures and contentthat represents wireless subscriber information also contained in theMIND database 137. In this manner, network data distributor 2884 may bea replica of all or a subset of the data contained in MIND database 137.In this configuration, network data distributor 2884 may be the firstdatabase in the messaging infrastructure 100 to receive updates from theMIND database 137. Network data distributor 2884, in this example,relays and controls the distribution of data updates to other replicasin messaging infrastructure 100. Network data distributor 2884 maycontain all or a subset of the data contained in MIND database 137.

In an exemplary embodiment, network subscriber data replica database2872 communicates with network database business logic 2864. In thisexample, network subscriber data replica database 2872 may contain allor a subset of the information contained in MIND database 137. In asimilar manner, RVDB 135 communicates with network database businesslogic 2852. In this example, RVDB 135 may contain all or a subset of theinformation contained in MIND database 137. These two databases, 135 and2872, thus act as replicas of at least a subset of the MIND database137.

MIND database 137, network data distributor database 2884, networksubscriber data replica database 2872, and RVDB 135 may each beaccessible by, for example, other components of the network, such as therouting and validation entity (RAVE). Likewise any one or all of thesedatabases may be accessible by outside wireless subscribers 2858 andthird party data service applications 2862. MIND database 137 and thereplica databases, 135, 2872, and 2884, may also provide support forother network elements such as the RAVE. In one configuration consistentwith the principles of the present invention, the RAVE entity mayinterface only with one of the replica databases, such as the networksubscriber data replica database 2872. In an alternate embodiment of thepresent invention, one or all of the other network entities, such as theRAVE, may interface directly with the central MIND database 137. In afurther embodiment of the present invention, replica databases may notbe necessary so that all data and information is stored in a centralMIND database 137. In this configuration, wireless subscribers 2858,third party data service application providers 2862, and other networkentities such as the RAVE may interface directly with one centralizeddatabase, such as the MIND database 137.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the MIND database 137, aswell as the replica databases, 135, 2872, and 2884, may all be capableof accepting additional data fields. In this manner, if a wirelessprovider wishes to add an additional data field, for example, a datafield describing a feature of a new wireless device, then the MINDdatabase 137, as well as any applicable replica databases such as 135,can be configured to accept the new data field. In this manner, the MINDdatabase 137, as well as the replica databases, 135, 2872, and 2884, ofthe example of FIG. 28 are scalable, both in the number of data fieldswhich they can hold, as well as the amount of subscriber informationthey contain.

An example of a situation in which a new data field may be added is whena new wireless service is added to the wireless network. For example,the design of the data fields comprising the customer profile may beable to accommodate new services by the addition of data fields to boththe MIND database 137 and the replica databases, 135, 2872, and 2884.The process of adding a new service may also define how the applicationsthat manage and operate this service will be accessed. Changes to thedata fields of the MIND database 137 may allow for propagation of thesenew data fields or changes to other replica databases.

A wireless service provider's subscriber databases, such as the centralMIND database 137, may be located both within an information technologyinfrastructure 100, and, with replicas such as database 135, throughoutthe messaging infrastructure 100. The subscriber information may bestored in various databases within the information technologyinfrastructure 100 2802, and those databases may be accessed through aset of information technology applications, such as electronic billpayment and presentment functions. Within the messaging infrastructure100, there may be a master subscriber database, such as network datadistributor database 2884, and a set of replicated subscriber databasessuch as network subscriber data replica database 2872. In this example,network data distributor database 2884 may be the source repository fordata to be replicated to other replica network databases, such asnetwork subscriber data replica database 2872. Each replica database,such as network subscriber data replica database 2872 may be a subset ofthe network distributor database 2884. In this fashion, network datadistributor database 2884 could contain all of the data fields containedin MIND database 137.

In one embodiment of the present invention, MIND database 137 maycontain subscriber profiles, including the necessary information toenable data services. This information may then be replicated throughoutthe messaging infrastructure 100 to other replica databases, such asnetwork subscriber data replica database 2872 via a publish andsubscribe method. Each replica database, such as network subscriberreplica database 2872, may contain a subset of the information containedin the central MIND database 137 depending on the replica database'sfunction. For example, RVDB 135 may contain a replica of a subset of thedata contained in MIND database 137 or in network data distributordatabase 2884. If RVDB 135 is designed to interface with an entity ofthe wireless network, then this database 135 may contain only a subsetof the information stored in MIND database 137 necessary for thefunctioning of the RAVE entity. Since the RAVE entity validates variousmessages, the RAVE entity may not need access to all of the data fieldscontained in MIND database 137 or network data distributor database2884. In this manner, RVDB 135 may be a specialized replica databasecontaining a subset of data needed to perform a specific function of theRAVE.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, network components,such as the RAVE, that require subscriber profile information mayconsult local replica databases, such as network subscriber data replicadatabase 2872 for faster access. For example, the various entities ofthe wireless network, such as the RAVE and the DART, may wish to accessdata from the central MIND database 137 concurrently. Operationalefficiencies may be achieved through replica databases, such as networksubscriber data replica database 2872, in that various entities, such asthe RAVE and the DART, may be able to consult local replicas rather thanhaving to refer back to a central MIND database 137. For example, theRAVE, in initially validating incoming calls, may require various datafields stored in the MIND database 137. If the RAVE is able to accessidentical data fields contained in one more replica databases, thenmessage throughput may be increased and delays may be decreased.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the MIND database 137or any of the replica databases, such as the network subscriber datareplica database 2872, may allow for the collection of usage statistics,class of service traffic, types of messages, and other call trafficinformation. For example, the collection of these usage statistics maybe delegated to a replica database, such as network subscriber datareplica database 2872, or any other replica database (not shown). Inthis manner, a replica database 2872 may be tasked with collecting usagestatistics so that the central MIND database 137 is not burdened. In oneembodiment of the present invention, data from one of the replicadatabases, such as the network subscriber data replica database 2872 maybe passed through various components of the network back to the centralMIND database 137. Alternatively, one of the replica databases, such asnetwork subscriber data replica database 2872 may perform analyses onthis usage data and then pass the results back to MIND database 137. Inthis fashion, two-way communication is contemplated between MINDdatabase 137 and replica databases 135, 2872, and 2884.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, updates to data fieldsof the MIND database 137 may be replicated to replica databases 135,2872, and 2884 at or near real time. Network databases such as the MINDdatabase 137 and replica databases 135, 2872, and 2884, may also providefor automated management, for example, via a simple network managementprotocol.

Network data distributor database 2884, network subscriber data replicadatabase 2872, and network subscriber data routing and validationdatabase 135 may each be stored on a single database component or overmultiple database components. In this manner, the infrastructure of theMIND database 137 may be similar to the infrastructure of the replicadatabases in that any database may be stored in a single component orover multiple components and tables. In an alternate embodiment, thereplica databases, such as network subscriber data replica database 2872may be stored on several different tables and databases distributedthroughout the network.

FIG. 29 illustrates the database business logic component of themessaging infrastructure in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention. In this example, database businesslogic 2906 can correspond to IT database business logic 2804, networkdatabase business logic adaptor 2828, network database business logic2852, network database business logic 2864, or network database businesslogic 2876.

In one embodiment of the present invention, network database 2902interfaces with database business logic 2906. Network database 2902, forexample, could be a MIND database 137 or any one of the various replicadatabases, such as network subscriber data replica database 2872.Accordingly, network database 2902 may possess some of the same featuresof the MIND database 137, or the replica databases 2884, 2872, and 135previously described.

Database business logic 2906 interfaces with network database 2902.Database business logic 2906, functionally, may contain various adaptorssuch as integration bus adaptor 2908, lightweight directory accessprotocol (LDAP) adaptor 2910, simple object access protocol (SOAP)adapter 2912, or any other network protocol adaptor 2914. In thisexample, database business logic 2906 communicates with backboneintegration transport 2296 via integration bus adaptor 2908. Likewise,database business logic 2906 interfaces with an LDAP-based client 2918via an LDAP adaptor 2910. Similarly, database business logic 2906communicates with a SOAP client 2920 via a SOAP adaptor 2912.

In this manner, database business logic 2906 may be able to accommodatemultiple adaptors for various applications or infrastructure elements.For example, the RAVE component may be able to access information storedin network database 2902 using an LDAP interface to the database. Any ofa number of different existing protocols may be used in conjunction withdatabase business logic 2906 via various adaptors such as the otherprotocol adaptor in 2914. For example, the CORBA protocol may be used inconjunction with database business logic 2906 with a CORBA adaptor (nowshown).

In operation, the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 29 allows communicationbetween various elements of the network architecture and networkdatabase 2902. For example, the RAVE entity or DART entity may be ableto communicate with network database 2902 via network business logic2906 and an appropriate adaptor such as LDAP adaptor 2910. In thismanner, the RAVE entity, for example, may be an LDAP-based client 2918.The various adaptors contained in database business logic 2906, such asthe SOAP adaptor 2912 can contain various communication rules in orderto enable data transfer from network database 2902, for example, to aSOAP client 2920. In a further embodiment of the present invention, anadaptor, such as the SOAP adaptor 2912 may contain various businessrules which would enable communication between a SOAP client 2920 andthe network database 2902.

FIG. 30 depicts an exemplary embodiment of the MIND database in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention. In this example, a relational database comprises numeroustables each depicted by a box. Each of these tables contains informationrelevant to a wireless subscriber's profile. The title of the table isdisplayed in the gray area at the top of each box. In this example, thearrows depict the relationship among the tables, the abbreviation “PK”stands for primary key, and the abbreviation “FK” stands for foreignkey. The relational data structure of FIG. 30 is intended to be anexample as numerous other configurations are within the scope of thepresent invention.

In the example of FIG. 30, subscriber profile table 3004 stores personalinformation associated with a subscriber. This personal information, inthis example, includes a username, a password, a subscriber's firstname, a subscriber's last name, a subscriber's birth date, anauthorization code, the date on which the account was created, the timeat which the account was created, a street address, suite number, city,state, zip code, country, portal information, default deviceidentification information, a main email address, direct billinginformation, promotional message information, status information, masteraccount information, termination date, account type, gender, income,profession, personal interests, alerts information, time zoneinformation, credit card information, parental control passwordinformation, land phone information, data phone information, fax phoneinformation, and credit class information.

All or a subset of this information may be associated with a particularsubscriber. Further, the data structure on which this personalinformation is stored is modifiable so that new information can beadded, old information can be deleted, and information can be changed.In one example, a new field may be added to the subscriber profile table3004. This new field (not shown) may then be populated with informationspecific to a subscriber using-any convenient method. As notedpreviously, the data structure on which the example of FIG. 30 residesis scalable and modifiable.

A subscriber identification number, uniquely identifying a particularsubscriber, is the primary key of the subscriber profile table 3004.This primary key, for example, is a string of characters that isassociated with a subscriber. In this manner, each subscriber has aunique identification string that, for example, can serve as an accountnumber. The foreign keys contained in subscriber profile table 3004include a state identifier, a country identifier, a portal identifier, adefault device identifier, a status identifier, a master accountidentifier, and an account type identifier. Each of these foreign keysreference a primary key of a separate table in the relational databasestructure of FIG. 30.

Account type table 3008 stores descriptive information about the varioustypes of accounts provided by a wireless network provider. Thisinformation, for example, could include the various plan names, the ratestructures, a standard quantity of air time, and other aspects of aparticular type of wireless account. The primary key of account typetable 3008, in this example, is an account type identifier. This accounttype identifier is also a foreign key in subscriber profile table 3004.Therefore, subscriber profile table 3004 references account type table3008 for account type information.

Portal table 3024 stores portal information including a portaldescription and a portal URL address. The primary key of portal table3024 is a portal identifier. This portal identifier, for example, isassociated with a unique portal configuration. Other portalconfigurations would then have other unique portal identifiersassociated with them. The portal identifier is also a foreign key insubscriber profile table 3004. Therefore, subscriber profile table 3004references portal table 3008 for portal information.

Account status table 3028 stores account status information. The variousaccount status types, in this example, are stored in account statustable 3028. Each account status has an identifier associated with it. Inthis manner, the primary key of account status table 3028 is a statusidentifier. The account status identifier is also a foreign key insubscriber profile table 3004. Therefore, subscriber profile table 3004references account status table 3008 for account status information.

A state table 3030 and a country table 3034 each store state and countryinformation respectively. In one example, state table 3030 stores thenames of each state associated with a particular country. State table3030 has as its primary key a state identifier. Each state identifiercan be associated with a state name. Likewise, in this example, countrytable 3034 has as its primary key a country identifier. Each countryidentifier can be associated with a country name. In one embodiment,state table 3030 has as its foreign key the country identifier. In thismanner, state table 3030 references country table 3034 for countryinformation. The state identifier and country identifier are alsoforeign keys in subscriber profile table 3004. Therefore, subscriberprofile table 3004 references state table 3030 for state information andcountry table 3034 for country information.

Subscription table 3038 stores subscription information and has as itsprimary key a subscription identifier. In addition, subscription table3038 may have a mobile number as a primary key. In this case, a mobilenumber or a block of mobile numbers may be associated with a particularsubscription. Subscription table 3038, in this example, has as foreignkeys a service identifier, a device identifier, and possibly a mobilenumber. Therefore, subscription table 3038 interfaces with servicestable 3042, device table 3070, and possibly mobile subscription table3012 for information stored in those tables.

Mobile subscription table 3012 stores information about a mobilesubscription. Mobile subscription table 3012 contains information aboutthe activation date of a subscription, the deactivation date of asubscription, an old mobile number, a MIN, an IMSI, and statusinformation. Mobile subscription table 3012 has as its primary key amobile number which in this example is a unique identifier. Mobilesubscription table 3012 has as a foreign key a subscriber identifier. Inthis example, the mobile subscription table 3012 references subscriberprofile table 3004 for subscriber information.

In one embodiment of the present invention, services table 3042 storesinformation about services offered by a wireless subscriber. Servicestable 3042 has as its primary key a services identifier. Sincesubscription table 3038 has as its foreign key services identifier,subscription table 3038 references service table 3042 for serviceinformation.

In an example consistent with the principles of the present invention,service attribute table 3046 stores information about the attributesassociated with a service. In this example, service attribute tablestores information such as an attribute name, an attribute default, anda default value. Service attribute table 3046 has as its primary keys asequence identifier and a service identifier. In this embodiment, theservice identifier is also a foreign key so that service attribute table3046 references services table 3042 for service information.

Device table 3070 stores information about various devices. In thiscase, device table 3070 contains information about the make and model ofa device as well as a description of the various characteristics of thatdevice. Device table 3070 contains a list of all possible devices usedon a wireless network along with basic information about them. Devicetable 3070 has as its primary key a device identifier and has as itsforeign key a browser identifier. Since subscription table 3038 andsubscriber profile table 3004 have the device identifier as the foreignkeys, these two tables reference device table 3070 for deviceinformation.

Blacklist table 3016 and white list table 3020 contain blacklist andwhite list information respectively. Each of these two tables has asprimary keys a number identifier, a subscriber identifier, and a serviceidentifier. In addition, the subscriber identifier and the serviceidentifier are foreign keys in the blacklist table 3016 and white listtable 3020. In this example, blacklist table 3016 and white list table3020 reference subscriber profile table 3004 for subscriber informationand services table 3042 for services information. The blacklist table3020 may contain information relating to a subscriber's personalblacklists as well as a system-wide blacklist. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, a system-wide blacklist may reside in blacklist table3016.

In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a browser table3074 stores information about different browsers. For example, browsertable 3074 contains browser descriptions, operating system descriptions,and browser versions. Browser table 3074 has as its primary key abrowser identifier. Since device table 3070 has as its foreign key abrowser identifier, device table 3070 references browser table 3074 forbrowser information.

Subservice attribute table 3066 stores subservice attribute information.Subservice attribute table 3066 has as its primary keys a sequenceidentifier, a mobile number, and a subscription identifier. Subserviceattribute table 3066 has as its foreign keys a mobile number and asubscription identifier. In this example, subservice attribute table3066 references subscription table 3038 for subscription information.

Alias table 3050 stores alias information. Alias information mayinclude, for example, aliases that have been set up by a wirelesssubscriber. In this manner, a wireless subscriber, for example, may beable to configure aliases and associate alias names with devices orlists. Alias table 3050 has as its primary keys a subscriber identifierand an alias number. Alias table 3050 has as its foreign key asubscriber identifier. Alias table 3050 interfaces with subscriberprofile table 3004 for subscriber information.

Alias destination routing table 3054 stores information about therouting destinations for an alias. Alias destination routing table 3054has as its primary keys a subscription identifier, a mobile number, asubscriber identifier, and an alias number. These four identifiers arealso foreign keys of alias destination routing table 3054. In thisexample, alias destination routing table 3054 references alias table3050 for alias information and subscription table 3038 for subscriptioninformation.

Alias email routing table 3058 stores alias email routing informationsuch as a routing enabled flag. In this example, alias email routingtable 3058 has as its primary keys a subscriber identifier, a sequencenumber, and an alias number. These three primary keys also serve asforeign keys of alias email routing table 3058. In this manner, aliasemail routing table 3058 references alias table 3050 for aliasinformation and sub email table 3062 for email information.

Sub email table 3062 stores email information. Sub email table 3062 hasas its primary keys a subscriber identifier and a sequence number. Subemail table 3062 has as its foreign keys a subscriber identifier and anemail type identifier. In this example, sub email table 3062 referencessubscriber table 3004 for subscriber information and email type table3078 for email type information.

Email type table 3078 stores information about the type of an email.Email type table 3078 has as its primary key an email type identifier.

Referring now to Table 1, a more detailed explanation of various datafields that may appear in the MIND is depicted.

TABLE 1

Table 1 is intended only as an example as various other data fields mayalso be included in the MIND. Moreover, numerous arrangements of thesedata fields are well within the scope of the present invention. In Table1, a field name is provided along with an example. In addition, a“customer proprietary flag” as well as “a may be used at the time ofinitial registration flag” is associated with each field name. Otherflags may also be associated with the field names. In a furtherembodiment of the present invention, other field names may also be addedor deleted from the MIND. In this manner, the MIND is flexible,scalable, and adaptable to meet various changes in a wireless network. Afurther embodiment of the present invention may simply comprise a fieldname without any associated flag.

The example of Table 1 may be divided into four different sections:account information, device information, network address information,and messaging attributes. The fields that make up the accountinformation in the MIND may have one row per subscriber. There may bemultiple rows for each device type and each destination addressbelonging to a subscriber, all of which could be in separate tables. Asubscriber record, which may stretch across several database tables,could be, for example, from 2,000 to 5,000 bytes.

In the exemplary embodiment of Table 1, a Username 01 stored in a firstfield of the MIND uniquely references a particular wireless customer. Inthis embodiment of the present invention, a user name is may be used atthe time of initial registration and is not customer proprietary. Inaddition to a Username 01, a Password 02 may also be may be used at thetime of initial registration and, in this example, is customerproprietary. The Username 01 and Password 02 stored in the MIND may beused by all applications in a wireless network. In this manner, awireless customer may conveniently have one user name and password touse across all wireless applications.

A field entitled “Signed up for DirectBill” 03 may also be stored in theMIND. In this example, the field, “Signed up for DirectBill” 03, is ayes/no field, may be used at the time of initial registration, and notcustomer proprietary. Similarly, a field entitled “Signed up forPromotional Messages” may also be stored in the MIND. This field, inthis example, is a yes/no field, may be used at the time of initialregistration, and is not customer proprietary. The “Signed Up forDirectBill” field 03 indicates whether or not a wireless subscriber isin a direct billing program. Likewise, the “Signed up for PromotionalMessages” field 04 indicates whether or not a wireless subscriber wishesto receive promotional messages. In this embodiment of the presentinvention, these two fields, as well as many of the other fields in theMIND, may be configurable by a wireless subscriber. In this manner, awireless subscriber may be able to alter various fields stored in theMIND database.

In the example of the present invention depicted in Table 1, an “AccountStatus” field 05, stored in the MIND, may indicate whether a wirelesssubscriber's account is, for example, active, suspended, or closed. The“Account Status” field 05 may be used at the time of initialregistration and may not be customer proprietary.

In one embodiment of the present invention, three fields may be used toidentify a particular subscriber's account. Fields entitled “UniqueAccount Identifier” 06, “Account Number” 07, and “Subaccount” 08 may bestored in the MIND. Each of these three fields may be used to identify aparticular account. In this example, each of these fields is used at thetime of initial registration, and none of them are customer proprietary.

In one example, a field entitled “Account Type” 09, stored in the MINDdatabase, may indicate whether a subscriber's account, for example, ispost paid, pre-paid, reseller, or corporate. In this manner, the“Account Type” field 09 and the “Account Status” field 05 may onlyaccept one of a limited number of possible responses. In this example,this field is used at the time of initial registration and is notcustomer proprietary.

In one embodiment, a field entitled “Rate Plan” 10, stored in the MINDdatabase, indicates the particular plan under which a wirelesssubscriber participates. Further, a field entitled “Feature Codes PerDevice” 11 may also be stored in the MIND. Like the “Rate Plan” field10, the “Feature Codes Per Device” field 11 may be may be used at thetime of initial registration and may not be customer proprietary. The“Feature Codes Per Device” field 11, for example, indicates whether awireless subscriber is signed up for instant messaging and, if so, whattype of instant messaging code should be used. In addition, the “FeatureCodes Per Device” field 11 may also indicate a particular wirelessapplication protocol, such as, for example, general packet radioservice, associated with a particular wireless subscriber profile. Inthis example, these fields are used at the time of initial registrationand are not customer proprietary.

In one embodiment of the present invention, three fields may accept datecodes. The “Service Activation Date” field 12, “Service TerminationDate” field 13, and “Billing Cycle Date” field 14 may contain the datesapplicable to a particular wireless subscriber. In this example, thesefields are used at the time of initial registration and are not customerproprietary.

A “Credit Class Code” or “Spending Limit” field 15, stored in the MIND,may also be associated with a particular wireless subscriber. This fieldcan indicate credit information about a particular wireless subscriberand may also establish preset spending limits. A “Credit Class Code”field 15 may be altered only by a wireless provider. In this manner,some of the fields of this example may be changed by a wirelesssubscriber or end user while other fields of this example may only bealtered by a wireless network administrator. The “Credit Class Code”field 15 may also be customer proprietary.

A “Language” field 16, stored in the MIND, may indicate a particularlanguage associated with a wireless customer. As indicated in theexample of Table 1, this field is used at the time of initialregistration and is not customer proprietary.

In a further example, a field entitled “Provisional Classes of Service”17, stored in the MIND, can be associated with various games andringtones. In this example, this field is not used at the time ofinitial registration and is not customer proprietary.

A “Parental Control Password” field 18, stored in the MIND, in thisexample, can be used by a parent to control a child's access to awireless device. For example, certain aspects of wireless communicationassociated with a wireless device may require a parental controlpassword. In this manner, a parent can prevent a child or any otherunauthorized user from participating in certain types of communications.In this example, the “Parental Control Password” field 18 may be used atthe time of initial registration, but, like Password field 02, iscustomer proprietary.

In the example of Table 1, “Default Portal-Selection” field 19, storedin the MIND, indicates a portal associated with a particular wirelessdevice. “Default Portal Selection” 19 may be used at the time of initialregistration, but is not customer proprietary.

In one example, a “Device Type” field 20, stored in the MIND, indicatesthe particular type of device that a wireless subscriber is using in awireless network infrastructure. A particular wireless subscriber mayhave many devices which he uses within a wireless network architecture.A wireless subscriber may have a telephone device as well as a separatetext device, both of which are used in a wireless infrastructure. Insuch a case, a particular user may have multiple device types associatedwith his profile. Each device may have a unique profile associated withit. In this manner, each device may have a certain set of fields in theMIND. In one embodiment of the present invention, different devicesassociated with different device types, for example, may have differentrate plan structures, account numbers, or other information associatedwith them. In another aspect, two different devices may share the sameaccount number, rate plan, and other user information.

In the example of Table 1, a “Network Type” filed 21 may be stored inthe MIND. The “Network Type” field 21 indicates a particular networkprotocol, such as GSM, GAIT, or TDMA. In this example, this field isused at the time of initial registration and is not customerproprietary.

Fields entitled “Prepaid Account Server” 22 and “Prepaid Account ServerVersion” 23 may also be stored in the MIND. In this example, thesefields store information about prepaid aspects of a subscriber'saccount.

In one embodiment of the present invention, “MSISDN/MDN” field 24indicates the mobile directory number for a particular device.“IMSI/MIN” field 25 indicates the international subscriber mobileidentity or the mobile identification number of a particular deviceassociated with a wireless subscriber. “ESN” field 26 indicates theelectronic serial number of a wireless device. “SIM Version” field 27describes the subscriber identification module type for a particularwireless device used in the wireless network. “RIM User's Name” field 28indicates a user name associated with a wireless subscriber. Forexample, this user name could be one of the wireless subscriber'saliases. “MAN/PIN” field 29 indicates the metropolitan area network andpersonal identification number associated with a particular wirelessdevice or wireless subscriber. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, each of these field names is associated uniquely with asingle wireless device. In this manner, a single field name may be maybe used for each wireless device. All of these fields, in this example,are used at the time of initial registration and are not customerproprietary.

A second “Account Number” field 30 may also be stored in the MIND.Associated with this account number, for example, can be an “AccountType” field 31. The “Account Type” field 31, for example, can indicate aparticular account to which a wireless user subscribes. An “OperatingSystem” field 32 and “Memory” field 33 may describe various aspects of aparticular wireless subscriber's device or account. Each of these fourfields, in this example, are used at the time of initial registrationand are not customer proprietary.

“ESN/MSN” field 34 also describes various aspects of a customer'saccount. In this example, “ESN/MSN” field 34 stores serial numberinformation associated with a device. In this example, this field isused at the time of initial registration and is not customerproprietary.

In this example, “Domain” field 35, stored in the MIND, associates aparticular user or a particular device with a standard domain name. Inthis example, a user's domain is IMcingular.com. This domain may be usedto associate a particular user with a particular e-mail address. Inaddition, a particular domain and its associated domain name address canfacilitate communication between a web-based application and a wirelessdevice. In one aspect of the present invention, a wireless subscribermay be able to send text messages from his cellular telephone to asecond person at a destination e-mail address. The “Domain” field 35 mayalso be used in aliasing.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a series of fields describesa particular device that is connected to a wireless network. In thisexample, “Device Schedule” 36, “Device Make” 37, “Device Model” 38,“Device Version” 39, and “Device E-Mail Address” 40 all describe variousdetails about a particular device that a wireless subscriber uses on awireless network infrastructure. In this example, the “Device Schedule”field 36 indicates a particular protocol such as Mobitex for use with aparticular device. The “Device Make” field 37 and “Device Model” field38 indicate the make and model of a wireless device used on a wirelessnetwork. A “Device Version” field 39 further defines the type of device.“Device E-Mail Address” 40, in this example, is a particular e-mailaddress associated with a certain device. Like the “Domain” field 35,“Device E-Mail Address” 40 can be used in e-mail communications. In thismanner, a person at a computer can send an e-mail over the Internet to awireless device. In this example, “Device Schedule” 36, “Device Version”39 and “Device E-Mail Address” 40 are not may be used at the time ofinitial registration and are not customer proprietary. “Device Make” 37and “Device Model” 38, in this example, are used at the time of initialregistration and are not customer proprietary.

A field entitled “IP Address” field 41, in this example, stores a GPRSaddress associated with a device. In this example, this field is notused at the time of initial registration and is not customerproprietary.

A field entitled “Password Validation Required on Originator” 42, storedin the MIND, in this example, is a Boolean data field. This data fieldindicates whether a password is may be used for a certain application.The “Password Validation Required on Originator” field 42 is not used atthe time of initial registration and is not customer proprietary. Afield entitled “Password for Distribution List Access” 43, stored in theMIND, contains a user-defined password. The storage capacity of field 43can be limited to a specific number of characters. In this example, the“Password for Distribution List Access” field 43 can be compared to apassword entered by a wireless subscriber. If the passwords match, thenthe wireless subscriber is allowed access to a distribution list. Thisfield 43, in this example, is not used at the time of initialregistration, but, like “Password” field 42, is customer proprietary.

Destination E-Mail Address field 44 and Destination Label field 45, inthis example, store information about a particular destination. In thisexample, these fields are not used at the time of initial registrationand are not customer proprietary.

In this example, a field entitled “Customer's POP Server List” 46,stored in the MIND, describes a post office protocol mailing list whichcan be defined by a wireless subscriber. In this example, the “CustomerPOP Server List” field 46 is not used at the time of initialregistration and is not customer proprietary.

An “Alerts Disabled” field 47, stored in the MIND, indicates whetheralerts are disabled on a particular wireless device or on a particularwireless account. In this example, the “Alerts Disabled” field 47 canonly contain a yes or a no. In this manner, the Alerts Disabled datafield can be implemented with a single bit.

In the exemplary embodiment of Table 1, “My Time Zone” field 48, storedwithin the MIND, indicates the particular time zone with which awireless device or user is associated. In one aspect of the presentinvention, a separate “My Time Zone” field 48 can be associated witheach wireless device belonging to a single wireless subscriber.Alternatively, a single “My Time Zone” field 48 may be associated with asingle wireless subscriber. In this example, the My Time Zone field 48is not used at the time of initial registration and is not customerproprietary.

In an exemplary embodiment, “Distribution Lists” data field 49 cancontain a single distribution list for each field. In this manner,multiple distribution list data fields may be provided in order toenable a wireless subscriber to store multiple distribution lists in theMIND. As is commonly known, a distribution list is simply a list ofdestinations or addresses associated with a particular key word toenable a wireless subscriber to send a message to multiple destinations.In this example, “Distribution List” field 49 is not may be used at thetime of initial registration and is not customer proprietary. Inaddition, “Distribution List” field 49 can be configured by a wirelesssubscriber.

An Alias field 50, stored in the MIND, indicates an alias nameassociated with a wireless subscriber. In this example, the Alias field50 is a messaging attribute that is associated, for example with a list.In this manner, a list can have an alias associated with it. In thisexample, this field is not used at the time of initial registration andis not customer proprietary.

In this example, a “User Defined Blacklist” field 51 and a “User DefinedWhite list” field 52 may also be stored in the MIND. “User DefinedBlacklist” field 51, in this example, contains a list of devices oraddresses with which a wireless subscriber does not wish to communicate.In this manner, a wireless subscriber can black list a group ofaddresses so that he will not receive any incoming messages from thoseparticular addresses. In a further embodiment of the present invention,a single wireless subscriber may have more than one black list defined.In this case, a wireless subscriber may have multiple “User DefinedBlacklist” fields 51. Similar to the “User Defined Blacklist” 51, the“User Defined White list” field 52, in this example, contains a list ofaddresses or people with which a wireless subscriber wishes tocommunicate. The addresses or people contained in a “User Defined Whitelist” field 52 for a particular wireless subscriber, for example, mayreceive preferential treatment with regard to various communications. Inthis example, both the “User Defined Blacklist” field 51 and the “UserDefined White list” field 52 are not used at the time of initialregistration and are not customer proprietary.

In an exemplary embodiment, a field entitled “Previous Mobile Number”53, stored in the MIND, may contain a prior phone number for a wirelesssubscriber. In this manner, when a wireless subscriber changes phonenumbers, he can have his previous mobile number stored in data field“Previous Mobile Number” 53. Data field “Previous Mobile Number” 53, inthis example, is not used at the time of initial registration and is notcustomer proprietary.

Many of the fields contained in the MIND, previously listed, can beconfigured by a wireless subscriber. In this manner, a wirelesssubscriber has access to the MIND and also may edit or change variousfields. As such, a customizable user profile may be comprised of thevarious data fields of the MIND. A wireless subscriber, for example, canalter the contents of the “User Defined Blacklist” field 51, the “UserDefined White list” field 52, as well as various other fields previouslymentioned.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a wireless subscriber canchange the various fields of the MIND via different devices. Forexample, a wireless subscriber may be able to change a field with awireless device, a computer terminal connected to the Internet, or astandard telephone. Many other avenues may also be used to change thevarious fields of the MIND. For example, a wireless subscriber may beable to change his profile by changing fields in the MIND via anInternet connection and web page.

Employing various user configurable fields of the MIND, a wirelesssubscriber may be able to create and edit personal aliases. Each aliasmay define a destination address and may provide the ability for thesubscriber to manage message delivery. In addition, a wirelesssubscriber may be able to define distribution lists, filtering lists,such as white and black lists, and auto-reply lists.

Using various fields of the MIND previously described, a user-definedprofile may allow for the definition of multiple handsets or devices. Auser profile, comprising information contained in various fieldspreviously described, may support destination address translation andnumber portability. The user defined profile may also support a set ofmessaging applications such as, web-to-mobile, mobile-to-mobile,mobile-to-web, numeric, or promotional messages. In a further embodimentof the present invention, the user-defined profile may support thecustomization and linking of services offered to subscribers. Asubscriber may be able to set up advanced features in his profile, suchas relaying messages to more than one mobile device or other messagingdestination such as an e-mail account.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, a user-defined profileassembled from the previously mentioned fields may hold a set of cannedmessages or automatic replies. The subscriber may be able to opt out ofor opt into promotional messages. In addition, a wireless subscriber mayalso be able to block messages by categories. For example, thesubscriber may be able to choose to block all incoming mobile messagesto avoid incurring fees.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, new services can beprovisioned at or near real time by registering appropriate informationin a subscriber profile contained in the MIND or in one of its replicas.For example, a wireless subscriber can sign up for additional servicessimply by changing the contents of various fields contained in the MIND.

The depiction of Table 1 is merely an example of one embodiment of thepresent invention. Many other fields and combinations of fields can beenvisioned and are within the scope of the present invention. Inaddition, the present invention contemplates the use of these variousdata fields to configure user profiles in many different manners.

The MIND database can be implemented in many different ways consistentwith the principles of the present invention. For example, the MINDdatabase may reside in a magnetic storage medium resident on a computer.The MIND database may be implemented with currently available softwaredatabase products developed by software companies such as Oracle. In oneembodiment of the present invention, the MIND database may bedistributed over many different computers or many different individualdatabase products. In this manner, individual computers or databases maybe networked together to form the MIND database. In this embodiment, acentral controller may be implemented in order to manipulate theindividual computers or databases. In a further embodiment of thepresent invention, the MIND database may reside on an optical storagedevice such as a compact disc or series of compact discs. In general,the MIND database may be implemented in any convenient storage media.

One embodiment of the MIND database consistent with the principles ofthe present invention may be horizontally scalable so that a dataprocessor on which the database resides may be expandable. Further, theMIND database may be vertically scalable so that more data processorunits can be added to the location of the database. Exemplaryembodiments of the MIND consistent with the principles of the presentinvention may be scalable to the order of tens of millions of customerprofiles in terms of space and in terms of speed. In one embodiment ofthe present invention, the MIND may be able to provide access to dataonly through published application programming interfaces. Thesescalable features of the MIND database may be implemented with currentlyavailable technology known to those skilled in the art.

Operation of the MIND

FIG. 31 illustrates a flow chart of a bulk load operation performed bythe MIND in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles ofthe present invention. In the example of FIG. 31, the flow chart depictsa bulk load of data contained in a central MIND database 137 intovarious replica databases, such as network data distributor database2884.

In the embodiment of the present invention depicted in step 3102, thebulk load process may be initiated by IT database business logic 2804.For example, the IT database business logic 2804 may read all the datafrom the MIND database 137 or other database and create a data abstractfile. This data abstract file can represent all or a portion of the datasubject to the bulk load operation. The data of the bulk load operation,for example, can be stored in the MIND database 153 or may be stored insome external data storage device (not shown).

As depicted in exemplary step 3104, the IT database business logic 2804announces that the bulk load data is available. In this example, thisannouncement is made to provisioning system 2808, through backboneprovisioning transport 2816 and to network database business logicadaptor 2828. The announcement may then be transmitted through backboneintegration transport 132, network database business logic 2876, and tonetwork data distributor database 2884. Alternatively, IT databasebusiness logic 2804 may communicate directly with network databasebusiness logic 2876 to alert network data distributor database 2884 ofthe bulk load event. In one embodiment, business logic, such as ITdatabase business logic 2804, may publish on backbone integrationtransport 132 a message alerting network data distributor database 2884to a bulk load. In this example, network database business logic 2876subscribes to bulk load messages and receives the bulk load message.Network database business logic 2876, in this example, replies bypublishing a message on backbone integration transport 132. Upon receiptof this reply by IT database business logic 2804, the bulk load processcommences. Other various communication channels and paths are within thescope of the present invention.

As depicted in exemplary step 3106, network database business logic 2876of network data distributor database 2884 receives the bulk load event.As depicted in exemplary step 3108, network database business logic 2876retrieves the bulk file from a location specified in the bulk loadevent. Network database business logic 2876 may retrieve the bulk loaddata from the MIND database 137. Alternatively, network databasebusiness logic may retrieve the bulk load data from an external datastore (not shown). In this example, after retrieving the bulk file,network data distributor database 2884 loads the data. The bulk file caneither be loaded directly from its location to network data distributordatabase 2884 or, for example, via network database business logic 2876.In the latter instance, bulk information may be routed through networkdatabase business logic 2876 and then loaded into network datadistributor database 2884.

As depicted in exemplary step 3112, network database business logic 2876announces a bulk load event to other replica databases, such as networksubscriber data replica database 2872. This announcement may betransmitted to network database business logic 2864, which may controlnetwork subscriber data replica database 2872. In this manner, theannouncement may proceed from network database business logic 2876 tobackbone integration transport 132 and then to network database businesslogic 2864. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, thebusiness rules and protocol handling that is contained in networkdatabase business logic 2876 may be contained directly in network datadistributor database 2884.

Likewise, other business rules and protocol rules may also be containedwithin replica databases such as network subscriber data replicadatabase 2872. In this alternate embodiment of the present invention, adirect link may be achieved from a bulk load data source or, forexample, the MIND database 137 to network data distributor database 2884and replica databases such as network subscriber data replica database2872. In this example, the announcement of the bulk load eventtransmitted by network database business logic 2876 to network databasebusiness logic 2864, for example, can indicate the location of the bulkdata.

As depicted in exemplary step 3114, network database business logic 2864receives the bulk load event with the location of the bulk load data.Likewise, other replica network database business logic entities alsoreceive the bulk load event and the location of the bulk load data. Forexample, network database business logic 2852 which is associated withnetwork subscriber data routing and validation database 135 may alsoreceive the bulk load event along with the location of the bulk loaddata. The transmission of this event notification, for example, may bedone in parallel to all replica databases at the same time, to databasessequentially, or in any convenient order. For example, it may bepreferable that network subscriber data replica database 2872 receivesdata before network subscriber data routing and validation database 135.If this is the case, then network database business logic 2876 wouldfirst transmit the bulk load event information to network databasebusiness logic 2864 and then transmit that bulk load event to networkdatabase business logic 2852. In this manner, network subscriber datareplica database 2872 could receive its bulk load update before networksubscriber data routing and validation database 135.

As depicted in exemplary step 3116, each replica database then retrievesthe bulk data. The network database business logic associated with thereplica database may be responsible for retrieving the bulk load data.For example, network database business logic 2864 may retrieve the bulkload data for network subscriber data replica database 2872. The replicadatabases are then updated with the bulk data as depicted in exemplarystep 3118. In this manner, network subscriber data replica database 2872would be updated with the bulk data.

In the example of FIG. 31, replica databases are replicated first fromnetwork data distributor database 2884 which is replicated from the MINDdatabase 137. In this fashion, data stored in the MIND database 137 isfirst propagated to network data distributor database 2884. Network datadistributor database 2884 then distributes the data to replicadatabases, such as network subscriber data replica database 2872. In analternate embodiment of the present invention, the updating process canbe performed in parallel. In this manner, the data from the MINDdatabase 137 can be transferred in parallel to all replica databases,including network data distributor database 2884, network subscriberdata replica database 2872, and network subscriber data routing andvalidation database 135.

In yet a further embodiment of the present invention, data contained inan external data storage device may be first sent to the MIND database137 and then to the replica databases, 135, 2884, and 2872, in anyorder. The present invention also contemplates parallel update of theMIND database 137 and the replica databases 153, 2872, and 2884. In thismanner, all databases throughout the system may be updated from anexternal source at the same time.

Network data distributor database 2884 may contain a subset of allcustomer information contained in the MIND database 137. All additions,updates, and deletions to a customer profile may be made, for example,on the MIND database 137. The MIND database 137 may then propagate thechanges to the network data distributor database 2884. The network datadistributor database 2884 may contain a master set of all files in thenetwork. All network elements, such as the RAVE and the DART, may accessthe information stored in the network data distributor database 2884 viareplicated database nodes located in close proximity to the networkelement itself. These database replicas, such as network subscriber datareplica database 2872 and network subscriber data routing and validationdatabase 135 may contain only a subset of the data in the network datadistributor database 2884. Likewise, network data distributor database2884 may contain only a subset of the data contained in the MINDdatabase 137.

FIG. 32 depicts an incremental update of data contained in the databasesof the infrastructure in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention. In this example, the databases areupdated with a new wireless subscriber. As shown in the example of FIG.32, an activation channel registers a new subscriber 3202. A subscribercan be registered, for example, via web interface 2812. In this manner,wireless subscriber 2858 may register for wireless service via webinterface 2812. The registration information for the new wirelesssubscriber may then be passed via IT database business logic 2804 intothe MIND database 137. Alternatively, a customer representative of thewireless carrier may input the data for the new wireless subscriber intoMIND database 137 in any convenient manner.

After the new data is received by the MIND database 137 the replicadatabases may need to be updated. In step 3204, provisioning system 2808posts an event stating that a new subscriber has been registered. Thisevent may originate in provisioning system 2808 or may be a function ofthe MIND database 137 or the IT database business logic 2804. Forexample, when a new subscriber's data is stored in the MIND database137, the MIND database 137 may initiate a process via IT databasebusiness logic 2804 and provisioning system 2808 to update replicadatabases such as network subscriber data replica 2872. Alternatively,the registration of a new wireless subscriber may initiate an updateevent in provisioning system 2808.

In the example of step 3206, network applications receive theprovisioning event. The provisioning event may be transmitted to othernetwork applications such as the DART or the RAVE via backboneprovisioning transport 2816 and network database business logic adaptor2828. Alternatively, the provisioning event may be transmitted directlyto the various network entities such as the RAVE and the DART. In theexample of FIG. 32, the provisioning event is transmitted fromprovisioning system 2808 via backbone provisioning transport 2816,network database business logic adaptor 2828, backbone integrationtransport 132, to network data business logic 2876. In an alternateembodiment of the present invention, the provisioning event may betransmitted from provisioning system 2808 to network database businesslogic 2876 in any convenient manner.

In the exemplary step of 3208, the network data distributor database2884 registers the new subscriber. As previously described, the data forthe new subscriber can be transferred from the MIND database 137 to thenetwork data distributor database 2884. Alternatively, the network datadistributor database 2884 may receive the new subscriber data from aseparate data source.

As depicted in exemplary step 3210, the network application announcesthat a new subscriber has been registered. For example, network databasebusiness logic 2876 may announce to network database business logic2864, or network database business logic 2828 that a new subscriber hasbeen registered and his information has been stored in networkdistributor database 2884. This announcement may be transmitted fromnetwork database business logic 2876 via backbone integration transport132 to network database business logic 2864. In an alternate embodimentof the present invention, the announcement that a new subscriber hasbeen registered in network data distributor database 2884 or in the MINDdatabase 137 can be made directly to network database business logic2864 and/or network database business logic 2828.

In exemplary step 3212 of FIG. 32, the replicated databases receive theevent. For example, network subscriber data replica database 2872 mayreceive an indication that a new subscriber is being registered on thewireless network. Likewise, network subscriber data routing andvalidation database 135 may also receive an indication that a newsubscriber is being registered on the wireless network. Thisnotification may be received directly from IT database business logic2804, provisioning system 2808, MIND database 137, or from any otherconvenient source.

In exemplary step 3214 of FIG. 32, the subscriber is registered inreplicated databases. In one embodiment of the present invention, thenetwork subscriber data replica database 2872 and the network subscriberdata routing and validation database 135 each receive data associatedwith the new wireless subscriber. In this manner, various fieldscontained within the replica databases 135 and 2872 may be createdand/or updated. In one embodiment of the present invention, new datafields may be created in the network subscriber data replica database2872 and the network subscriber data routing and validation database 135for the new wireless subscriber. These new fields may then be populatedwith data about the new wireless subscriber. Likewise, network datadistributor database 2884 may also be adapted to receive new data fieldscontaining the data about the new subscriber.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a wirelesssubscriber may register for a new network service. In this case, theMIND database 137 and the replica databases, 2884, 2872, and 135 mayreceive information about the new service to which the subscriberregisters. This new information may be associated with existingsubscriber data, such as a user name or password. In a furtherembodiment of the present invention, a wireless subscriber may wish tochange certain aspects of his customer profile. For example, a wirelesssubscriber may want to change the password he uses for his account. Oncethe customer makes this change, the MIND database 137 may be able topropagate the change to various replicated databases.

Consistent with one possible embodiment of the present invention, thenetwork data distributor database 2884 may remain identical to the MINDdatabase 137. Changes to the MIND database 137 may then be reflected inthe network data distributor database 2884 within, for example, oneminute of those changes being applied to the master database. Similarly,changes to the network data distributor database 2884 may be reflectedin the replica databases, such as network subscriber data replicadatabases 2872, within, for example, one minute of those changes beingapplied to the network data distributor database 2884. Other updatetimes are within the scope of the present invention. Additionally, allthe databases may be updated in real time in parallel.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention may provide forcontingency procedures to guarantee that the replica databases, such asnetwork subscriber data replica database 2872, can be synchronized inthe event of failures in the replication process. These contingencyprocedures may be automated. In this manner, the failure of a replicadatabase to receive updated data may result in the implementation of anerror correction routine. In addition, if a failure occurs, the wirelessnetwork architecture may provide for redundancy and error recovery.

In one embodiment of the present invention, new database replicas may beadded and configured easily. For example, a replica subscriber database(not shown) may be added to the infrastructure. In this manner, the newdatabase may be populated using a bulk load procedure previouslydescribed or an update procedure also previously described. The additionof replica databases, as well as the manipulation of existing replicadatabases allows for network scalability.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, sensitive customerinformation stored in MIND database 137 or replica databases, 2884,2872, and 135 may be encrypted. Any number of existing encryptiontechniques can be used to preserve the security of customer information.Each subscriber profile attribute may be protected as indicated by anattribute property. The network database business logic, for example2876, may then utilize that protection property flag to determine ifthat attribute can be modified or not. That protection property flag maybe modified and the network database business logic, for example 2876,may then be able to react to that change by applying a new protectionstatus to the subscriber attribute. In an alternate embodiment of thepresent invention, a network administrator may forbid a subscriber fromchanging certain aspects of his customer profile.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the process of updatingreplicated databases may be accomplished by caching data in some type ofa short-term memory. For example, data about a wireless subscriber thatis updated in the MIND database 137 may then be cached in some localstorage accessible to the network data distributor database 2884.Likewise, data caching can be used in the previously-described datatransfer methods in order to realize operational efficiencies.

Subscriber Configuration Interface

The Subscriber Configuration Interface (SCI) 165 supplies the frameworkto deliver network services, add new network services, and modifyexisting network services via a web interface. In one embodiment, SCI165 provides network subscribers with the ability to manage andconfigure network services.

While the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 depicts only a single SCI 165,multiple SCIs may be employed with the present invention. For example,numerous SCIs may interface with one or more web interfaces. In thismanner, a single web interface may support numerous SCIs. Likewise, in afurther embodiment of the present invention, numerous web interfaces mayinterface with a single SCI, such as SCI 165. Many other permutations ofnetwork entities are within the scope of the present invention.

In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, SCI 165, through networktransport 125, RAVE 130 and integration transport 132 interfaces withUADB 140. In this embodiment, UADB 140 may contain, for example,customer aliases, White lists, Blacklists, distribution lists, languagefilters, message formatting options, vacation settings, and numerousother aspects of a subscriber's customer profile. In this manner, UADB140, or one of its replicas, serves as a storage point for subscribers'preference profiles. In one embodiment of the present invention, thedata contained in UADB 140 may be updated by subscribers via the webinterface.

In another embodiment of the present invention, when a subscriberupdates his preference profile through the web interface, UADB 140 maybe updated at or near real time. For example, changes made by asubscriber through the web interface may be immediately written to UADB140 or one of its replicas. If written to a replica of UADB 140, amaster database (not shown) may then be updated from the replica of UADB140. In a further embodiment of the present invention, a subscriber'supdate of his preference profile via the web interface may first bestored in a master database (not shown) and then replicated to UADB 140.Numerous other methods, described in other portions of thisspecification, may be used to update a subscriber's preference profilevia the web interface. In yet another embodiment of the presentinvention, a subscriber's information, such as his preference profile,may be stored directly within SCI 165. Storage of configuration datawithin SCI 165 may be implemented through an integrated database, shortterm memory, long term memory, or any other convenient storage method.

In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, LAMB 160 records transactionsfrom SCI 165. Information about SCI 165 transactions may include, forexample, time, date, originator information, transaction ID; destinationinformation, message information, SCI functions accessed by theoriginator, errors, and any other function or process performed by SCI165.

In one embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 provides alarmingand logging information to LAMB 160 via network transport 125. Thisalarming and logging information, for example, may be based upon thetime of each transaction, the date of each transaction, the originator'sIP address, the remote host name of the originator, the message ID ofthe transaction, destination addresses, validation results, messagelength, the message itself, total bytes sent not including headers, thetime to complete the request, the status returned by the server, thestatus returned by other network entities, SCI functions accessed by theoriginator of the message, the last URL the subscriber was referred toby the SCI, errors, or any other convenient information.

In this manner, SCI 165 may publish on network transport 125 alarmingand logging information. This alarming and logging information may thenbe received by LAMB 160 from network transport 125. Upon receipt of thisalarming and logging information from network transport 125, LAMB 160may then store, process, and operate on the alarming and logginginformation. LAMB 160, in a further embodiment of the present invention,may support centralized logging and alarming functions. Further, LAMB160 may support real time or non-real time alarming and logging. In afurther embodiment of the present invention, LAMB 160 may supportvariable debug levels.

The web interface, in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, provides a webpage with which both subscribers and non-subscribers may interact withSCI 165. In the example of FIG. 1, the web interface provides a commonlook and feel for those who access the web page. The web interface, forexample, may include instructions on how to send and query web messages,instructions on how to configure a subscriber's preference profile, andinstructions on how to create custom downloads. In a further embodimentof the present invention, the web interface may provide a subscriberwith a web page that can be used to update and change a subscriber'spreference profile. Further, the web interface may enable a subscriberor non-subscriber to send a web send message to a subscriber. Many otherfunctions and instructions may be incorporated into the web interfaceand are within the scope of the present invention.

In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, ARC 110 a provides varioustranslation functions. In this manner, ARC 110 a may receive web sendmessages that are published by SCI 165 on network transport 125. Uponreceiving these web send messages, ARC 110 a may perform translationfunctions, for example, to transform a web send message into a commonformat for storage on MDS 175 or to transform a web send message intothe proper format for transmission to a particular device.

FIG. 33 illustrates an SCI in an exemplary embodiment consistent withthe principles of the present invention. In the example of FIG. 33, SCI165 comprises portal interface 3302, send message logic 3306, querymessage logic 3310, configuration logic 3314, and create custom downloadlogic 3318. In this example, portal interface 3302 is in communicationwith send message logic 3306, query message logic 3310, configurationlogic 3314 and create custom download logic 3318. In addition, portalinterface 3302, in this example, interfaces with a web interface (notshown).

In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 33, portal interface 3302 provides astandard interface accessible by the web interface to providesubscribers with the ability to customize network services and sendmessages to data subscribers. In this example, portal interface 3302allows a provider to enable a common look and feel for the webinterface. Portal interface 3302 allows a single log-in and password fora particular subscriber and allows the web interface to incorporatenetwork features such as send message, alias and distributionmanagement, and White list and Blacklist pages.

In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 33, portal interface 3302 as well asSCI 165 may serve up markup language content to an application protocolserver to allow subscribers to access all of the features provided bySCI 165. In this manner, SCI 165 through portal interface 3302 mayprovide support for markup language content. In a further embodiment ofthe present invention, portal interface 3302 may automatically supportolder browsers and/or WAP access. In a further embodiment of the presentinvention, portal interface 3302 may support transport protocols, suchas HTTP or HTTPS, to communicate with the web interface. Further, portalinterface 3302 may support various markup languages, programminglanguages, and database protocols. For example, portal interface 3302may support protocols such as LDAP or SMTP.

SCI 165, through its subcomponents such as portal interface 3302, maysupport various messaging protocols. For example, SCI 165, through itssubcomponents such as portal interface 3302, may support short messagingservice, interactive Mobitex messaging service, WAP subscribervalidation, streaming services over GPRS or any other convenientservice. Further, the embodiment depicted in FIG. 33 may support mobileterminated short messages originated by an operator. In this protocol,an operator based text messaging service allows a calling party to leavean alphanumeric message for a customer. This protocol can greet thecalling party with a personalized message and then take an alphanumericmessage of any length up to 160 characters on behalf of the customer andthen deliver the message to the customer, for example, using SMS.

A further embodiment of the present invention may support mobileterminated short messages originated from a web page. This protocolallows submission of a short message, for example, up to 640 charactersvia a web page such as the web interface, to a customer. In a furtherembodiment, SCI 165 may support mobile terminated short messagesoriginated from a dial-up using Telocator Alphanumeric Protocol (TAP).This protocol allows submission of a short message, for example, up to160 characters, via a modem pool to a customer. Numerous other protocolsare supported by SCI 165 and portal interface 3302 and those listed hereare merely examples.

SCI 165, and its subcomponents such as portal interface 3302, maysupport get and post methods. In a further embodiment of the presentinvention, SCI 165, and/or portal interface 3302 may support a loadsharing interface that the web interface can use to provide adequatecapacity and growth. Further SCI 165, through portal interface 3302, mayinclude access to a stand alone home page with a navigation menu to eachof the service configuration pages.

Send message logic 3306 allows an Internet user to access a standard“send a message” web page to create and send new messages tosubscribers. In this manner, the “send a message” web page is accessiblevia the web interface. In a further embodiment of the present invention,send message logic 3306 allows a subscriber to access a class of serviceassociated with a message. For example, data customers, such as SMScustomers, Mobitex customers, GPRS customers and WAP customers, may beable to access the class of service associated with web send messages.

Send message logic 3306 may be displayed via the web interface to anInternet user. In this manner, the “send a message” web page appearingon the web interface may include various aspects of send message logic3306. For example, fields in the “send a message” web page may includesender's name, sender's reply or notification address, sender's callback number, subject, message text, graphics symbols, passwords asrequired for a distribution list, future delivery time, recurringmessage based on time interval, and return delivery receipt request.Numerous other fields may be incorporated in send message logic 3306 anddisplayed on the web interface through a web page.

Send message logic 3306 may allow Internet users to create long messagesthat may include text, rich text format, and graphics within the text.Graphic symbols may be available on the “send a message” web page todrag into the message text itself. The capability of the device toreceive this format may be handled by ARC 110 in the network.

In this example, once an Internet user enters the destination address inthe appropriate field and changes to the next field to enter additionalinformation, the destination address can be validated, and the devicepreference for the user or group can be determined. These preferencescan then be used to customize other aspects of the “send a message” webpage, such as enabling graphics mode, enabling validation of sender, andenabling message tracking. For example, SCI 165, upon receiving adestination address entered by an Internet user entered into the webinterface, may publish that destination address on network transport125. The destination address published on network transport 125 may thenbe received by RAVE 130. RAVE 130, through integration transport 132,may compare that destination address to addresses contained in UADB 140.

In this manner, RAVE 130 may perform validation functions on thedestination address based on information contained in UADB 140. Inaddition, RAVE 130, through data contained in UADB 140, may be able toconfigure further aspects of the web send message from a subscriber'spreference profile information contained in UADB 140. For example, ifthe destination address entered by an Internet user into the webinterface corresponds to a subscriber whose information is stored inUADB 140, then RAVE 130 may access that subscriber's preferenceinformation, via integration transport 132, from UADB 140. RAVE 130 maythen publish this subscriber's preference information on networktransport 125. SCI 165 may receive this published information fromnetwork transport 125.

After receiving this subscriber's preference information, SCI 165 maythen configure the “send a message” web page displayed on the webinterface. In this manner, SCI 165 may be able to customize the “send amessage” web page displayed on the web interface. This customized “senda message” web page displayed on the web interface can correspond tovarious preferences and information about a particular subscriber storedin UADB 140 or its replica. For example, SCI 165 may be able todetermine the capabilities of the destination device based on thedestination address and limit the message creation functionality of the“send a message” web page based on that device. In this manner, SCI 165,for example, may be capable of configuring web send messages fordelivery to different device types such as TDMA/GSM, Mobitex, and othermobile devices using JAVA.

An Internet user submits a web send message through the web interface toa subscriber. Once a message has successfully been submitted, a cookiecould be placed on the Internet user's browser which references thisparticular web send transaction. This permits the sender to obtain thestatus of a previously submitted web send message. The cookie can expiresome time after the validity period of the web send message to allow thesender to check the last status of the message.

In this example, the cookie may allow the sender to track multiplemessages to multiple recipients. The cookie may also allow the sender toview reply messages from the recipient. The cookie may be used to allowrecipient replies to be returned to the method specified by the sender.The sender's specified methods may provide a convenient way to trackmessages sent to devices using an Internet device such as the webinterface.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 through theweb interface, may provide an interface for Internet users to create,for example, rich text, pictures, animations, melodies, and sounds thatcan be attached to web send messages. Further, SCI 165, through itssubcomponents such as portal interface 3302, may provide an interfacefor Internet users to generate downloadable multimedia files such asMIDI files to devices that support this feature. In this manner, SCI165, as well as its subcomponents such as portal interface 3302, mayprovide support for any number of different data formats used with a websend message entered into the web interface.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 submits websend messages to network transport 125. These web messages may be queuedup in the network for transmission to the various subscribers. SCI 165may provide the capability of specifying a future delivery time forthese web messages. In such a case, these web messages can be deliveredto mobile devices at the specified time. For example, an Internet userthrough the web interface may be able to specify a particular deliverytime. In this case, the specified delivery time associated with the webmessage entered by an Internet user may then be used by SCI 165 toschedule delivery of the web message.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 may be able tohandle recurring messages. For example, recurring messages, such asreminder type messages at periodic intervals or dates, may be created onSCI 165. A subscriber, through the web interface or through his device,may be able to set up reminder messages to be delivered to a destinationsuch as a device. A subscriber may set password access to this featurein order to be able to edit and delete these reminder type messages oralerts. SCI 165 may then support recurring message delivery and passwordaccess that can be enabled by a subscriber. Further, SCI 165 may allow asubscriber to manage recurring messages originated by others to thesubscriber's device. In yet another exemplary embodiment, SCI 165 maysupport management of these services by the device. For example, asubscriber, through his device, may be able to manage recurring remindertype messages.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 is capable ofhandling registered delivery of web messages. When a registered webmessage is delivered or the message reaches its final destination, anupdated status report message may be sent to the originator of the webmessage. In one embodiment of the invention, the subscriber controlswhether a status report message is returned to the originator of the webmessage. A delivery failure message, for example, can be sent back tothe originator of the web send message via e-mail if a valid Internete-mail address for the originator was supplied and registered deliverywas selected when the original web message was created.

An Internet user via the web interface may enter a web send message andselect registered delivery on the “send a message” web page displayed onthe web interface. In this case, if the subscriber has enabledregistered delivery in his configuration profile, the Internet user whooriginated the web send message may receive a delivery receipt when theweb send message is received by the subscriber. In another embodiment,the Internet user who originated the web send message may receive a readreceipt when the subscriber reads the web send message. Various othertypes of e-mail notification may be incorporated into the infrastructureof the present invention.

In one example consistent with the principles of the present invention,query message logic 3310 of SCI 165 may interface with the web interfaceto provide a method by which an Internet user can query informationabout a web send message. For example, a “query message” web page may bedisplayed on the web interface. In this example, Internet users may beable to access the “query message” web page in order to view informationabout a web send message sent by the Internet user. The subscriber maybe able to regulate an Internet user's access to the “query message” webpage. In this manner, a subscriber may be able to enable or disable anInternet user's ability to query web send messages.

In the example of FIG. 1 and FIG. 33, SCI 165, through its subcomponent,such as portal interface 3302, may satisfy an Internet user's queryrequest via information contained in a cookie. In a further embodimentof the present invention, these query requests may be satisfied by amessage ID. In this case, a message ID may be returned for each web sendmessage sent by an Internet user. The Internet user may then be able toaccess information about the web send message using the message ID. Forexample, an Internet user accessing the “query message” web pagedisplayed on the web interface may be able to enter the message IDcorresponding to a particular web send message in order to accessinformation about that web send message. The “query message” web pagemay be able to return the status of the web send message to the Internetuser. The Internet user may be able to determine whether the web sendmessage was delivered or read by a subscriber.

In a further example consistent with the principles of the presentinvention, SCI 165 may provide further management of queries. The statusof queries may be checked or monitored. SCI 165 may provide formonitoring different queries and, for example, sorting, filtering, orstoring queries. In one exemplary embodiment, an Internet user throughthe web interface may be able to manage various queries he has initiatedabout web send messages. An Internet user via the web interface, may beable to sort the various queries he has initiated about multiple websend messages.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, configuration logic3314 allows each subscriber to view, modify, and create customizedmessage handling and processing rules. The configuration logic 3314aspect of SCI 165, in this example, allows for a subscriber to customizeor configure his preference information. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, this information may be stored in UADB 140 or one ofits replicas.

In one possible embodiment of the present invention, configuration logic3314 may permit subscribers to perform alias management. In this manner,alias management, implemented through configuration logic 3314 of SCI165, permits subscribers to create e-mail distribution lists and devicealiases on their account. A subscriber may have a distribution list thatcorresponds to a group of people from work. In this case, the subscribercan associate the group of destination addresses with the word “work.”In this manner, when the subscriber invokes the word “work,” adistribution list consisting of all the destination addresses of thesubscriber's work acquaintances can be accessed. In this manner, if asubscriber wishes to send a message to all of the destination addressesassociated with the word “work,” then the subscriber may be able toenter the message and then send it to the “work” alias.

Likewise, a subscriber may have multiple devices. In this case, thesubscriber can associate an alphanumeric string, such as a word, witheach device. In this manner, a subscriber who has multiple devices maybe able to provide an alias to be associated with the variousconfigurable aspects of each device. For example, a subscriber who has acellular phone may associate the word “phone” with that device. In thisexample, all of the various configurable aspects of the cellular phone,such as the ability to receive text messages, can be associated with theword “phone.” The subscriber can then invoke the word “phone” in orderto access the configuration for his cellular phone.

This alias information may be stored in UADB 140, its replica, anotherdatabase, or within SCI 165. A subscriber may then be able to alter thealias information stored in one of these various sites. A subscriber maybe able to create and alter alias information contained within thenetwork either through the web interface or through his device.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, configuration logic3314 may provide that all aliases must be unique across an entireprovider's network. Further, SCI 165 may allow a subscriber to enable ordisable distribution lists, specify that a password is required toaccess a distribution list, or enable or disable distribution lists fromone of the devices in a subscriber's account profile.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, a subscriber, throughSCI 165, may be provided the ability to create and modify destinationdevices and addresses. Likewise, a subscriber may be able to create andmodify Internet destination devices and addresses. For example, eachdevice can have its own address, and therefore, its own alias. Asubscriber, through SCI 165, may be able to create, modify, and deletedevice profiles. In this manner, a subscriber, for example, through theweb interface or through his device, may be able to change an alias andits associated device profile. Likewise, a subscriber may be able toassign aliases to a particular device or destination. In a furtheraspect of the present invention, a subscriber may be able to enable ordisable destination addresses using an alias. A subscriber may beprovided the ability to disable e-mail and web delivery using his mobilenumber once an alias is created. A default alias, for example, could bea username that is created on the account at activation or by thesubscriber via the web interface.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 and itsconfiguration logic component 3314 may allow a subscriber to configurean account to be in an absent or vacation state to notify senders thatthe subscriber is unavailable. In this manner, a subscriber couldassociate the word “vacation” with this absent or vacation state. In oneembodiment, upon receiving a web send, e-mail, or mobile-to-mobilemessage, the originator of that message may receive a prepared responsefrom the subscriber. This prepared response, for example, could indicatethat the subscriber is unavailable. In one aspect of the presentinvention, the subscriber can set this absent or vacation mode to beindefinite or to expire automatically after a set number of days. SCI165 may support an interface to configure a subscriber absentee mode.For example, a subscriber, through his mobile device, may be able toconfigure and initiate this absentee mode. In a further embodiment ofthe present invention, the web interface may provide a web page withwhich a subscriber can initiate or alter this absentee mode. Inaddition, SCI 165 may be able to support this user interface.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 may providethe ability for a subscriber to configure White lists and Blacklists. Inthis example, White lists are used to grant access to specific domains,specific IP addresses, or specific e-mail addresses, regardless ofwhether those domains or addresses might be excluded by a filteringprocess. Blacklists are used to block access from specific domains andIP addresses. In one embodiment, a subscriber may be able to provisionhis or her Blacklist and White list to manage e-mail and web access. Inaddition, White list and Blacklist capability can be implemented on aglobal as well as on a per subscriber level.

In one aspect consistent with the principles of the present invention,SCI 165 may support an interface, such as the web interface, to allowsubscribers to manage their White lists and Blacklists. A subscriber maybe able to create a Blacklist, for example, by entering variousdestination addresses in a web page displayed on the web interface. Inthis manner, a subscriber may select a Blacklist function on the webinterface and be able to enter a list of Internet addresses to which thesubscriber wishes to deny access. This information, entered by asubscriber in the web interface, may then pass via communicationschannel 146 to SCI 165. SCI 165 may then publish this Blacklistinformation on network transport 125. RAVE 130 via integration transport132 may then store this Blacklist information in UADB 140 or one of itsreplicas. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, thisBlacklist information may be stored directly within SCI 165 by anynumber of methods. In yet another embodiment, DART 126 may storeblacklist information in MDS 175. In a further embodiment of the presentinvention, SCI 165 may support entering hosts and domains by name into aWhite list or Blacklist.

In a further aspect of the present invention, SCI 165 may be able toobtain the IP address of an accessing party to be able to process theWhite list or Blacklist. For example, an Internet user who appears on asubscriber's Blacklist may access the web interface. In this case, theBlacklisted Internet user may wish to send the subscriber a web sendmessage. SCI 165 may then obtain the IP address of the BlacklistedInternet user for processing by the network. The IP address of theBlacklisted Internet user may be published on network transport 125 bySCI 165. This Blacklisted address may then be compared with thesubscriber's Blacklist stored in UADB 140 or one of its replicas. Sincethe addresses match, in this example, the Blacklisted user would bedenied access to the network. In a further embodiment of the presentinvention, SCI 165 may support reverse address lookup to list hosts anddomains by name. This reverse address lookup may then be used toprocess, for example, a Blacklist.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 may allow aprovider the capability of creating and managing a system-wide Blacklistto control spamming. Further, SCI 165 may allow a provider to manageglobal Blacklists. For example, a provider may have a list of addressesof known spammers. In such a case, the provider may wish to block thespammer's access to the network. SCI 165 may allow for the creation andadministration of Blacklists to block potential spammer's access to thenetwork.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 may beaccessed via the web interface. SCI 165 may provide the Internet addressof the Internet user accessing the web interface. SCI 165 may also becapable of performing an Internet reverse address lookup to identify thedomain and host of the accessing party. After SCI 165 obtains theaddress of the accessing party, SCI 165, for example, can apply persubscriber Blacklist and White list rule filtering to block unwantedmessages from the Internet. After applying per subscriber Blacklist andWhite list rule filtering, SCI 165 may then apply global Blacklistfiltering of sites identified as sources of spam-type messages. In thismanner, SCI 165 may implement filtering in a two-step process. SCI 165may first implement an individual subscriber's Blacklist and White listand then implement a system-wide Blacklist and White list.

In further embodiments of the present invention, Blacklists and Whitelists that are implemented on a system-wide level may take precedenceover a Blacklist and White list for a particular subscriber. In thisinstance, SCI 165 may first check an accessing parties Internet addressagainst a subscriber's Blacklist. Second, SCI 165 may then check theaccessing party's address against a system-wide Blacklist. If theaccessing party's address does not appear on the subscriber's Blacklist,but does appear on the system-wide Blacklist, then that accessing partyis denied access to the network. In further embodiments of the presentinvention, SCI 165 may be able to implement multiple Blacklists andWhite lists. For example, a network administrator may establish multipleBlacklists with varying precedents. SCI 165 may be able to handle thevarious Blacklist rules based on rules of precedence.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 may be ableto support other anti-spamming procedures. SCI 165 may be capable oforigination validation based upon a sender's IP address or domain,limiting connections per second per host, accessing a national databaseof known spammers, providing customer awareness information related tospamming, providing a method for customers to report spamming to theprovider, providing a method for determining and blocking spamming byuse of war dialing attacks, providing a method for determining spammingbased upon the content of a web message using a list of regularexpressions, detecting previously unidentified spam messages based uponvolume of very similar web send messages, and using counters inprocessing the text of web send messages.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, firewalls (not shown)may be implemented between SCI 165 and the web interface as well asbetween the web interface and Internet 175. These firewalls (not shown)serve to protect the web interface, SCI 165, and other elements of theinfrastructure. Further aspects of the present invention may support SSLto protect subscriber data when being accessed or updated by thesubscriber. For example, the web interface, SCI 165, or other networkentities may use various encryption methods in order to protectsubscriber data.

In a further exemplary embodiment, SCI 165 may support a process ofpropagating changes to other SCIs (not shown) when updates have beenmade to add new configuration and network service features. For example,SCI 165 may receive a new system-wide Blacklist. In such a case, SCI 165may propagate this new system-wide Blacklist to other SCIs (not shown).Alternatively, a new system-wide Blacklist may be propagated to all SCIsin parallel. In yet another embodiment, one SCI, such as SCI 165, may bedesignated as a master SCI. In such a case, master SCI 165 may thenpropagate a change in a system-wide Blacklist, for example, to otherSCIs.

In the exemplary embodiment depicted in FIG. 33, create custom downloadlogic 3318, a component of SCI 165, allows a subscriber to create hisown custom graphics, ring tones, calendar entries, and address bookentries to send to enhanced messaging service (EMS) compliant devices.For example, create custom download logic 3318 may provide thecapability for subscribers to create rich text, pictures, animations,melodies, and sounds. Further, create custom download logic 3318 mayallow subscribers to generate downloadable multimedia files such as MIDIfiles to devices that support this feature. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, the web interface may provide a web page on which asubscriber may access create custom download logic 3318.

The web interface may provide a web page in which a subscriber cancreate sounds. In this example, a subscriber may be able to create acustom ring tone via the web interface. This custom ring tone may thenproceed through communications channel 146 to SCI 165. SCI 165 maypublish this user-created ring tone on network transport 125. Inpublishing this user created ring tone on network transport 125, SCI 165may also attach information about the subscriber who created the ringtone. In such a case, the user-created ring tone may be stored in adatabase such as UADB 140 or MDS 175. A subscriber could then accessthis custom-created ring tone from his device. In such a manner, asubscriber may be able to create a ring tone using the web interface,store that ring tone in a database residing within the infrastructure,and then download that ring tone from the database to his device. In asimilar manner, a subscriber may be able to create custom graphics aswell as calendar and address book entries.

FIG. 34 depicts a method for querying or tracking a message based on aunique identifier in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention. In this example, a uniqueidentifier is associated with a message that is sent from one subscriberto another subscriber, from one subscriber to a non-subscriber, or froma non-subscriber to a subscriber. The method contemplates assigning aunique identifier to each message that travels through the network andallowing access to the message status based on that identifier. In oneaspect of the invention, the unique identifier can be entered in a queryrequest at any access point in the network. In another embodiment, aunique identifier is associated with a message center or an MTA. In thismanner, the identifier may be unique for that message center and notunique across multiple message centers in a network.

In exemplary step 3402, a subscriber sends a message. As mentioned, theinvention contemplates a non-subscriber sending a message as well. Themessage can be sent from any device with any destination address. Forexample, a non-subscriber may send a message from a “web send” web pagedisplayed on a web browser by an SCI. In this case, the SCI displays aweb page through which any Internet user can send a message to anysubscriber. In another embodiment, a subscriber sends a message from hisdevice to a non-subscriber's email account. The message itself can be inany format and can be sent over any pathway through the network.

In exemplary step 3404, the network assigns a unique identifier to themessage. This unique identifier can be in the form of a string ofcharacters of any convenient length. For example, the unique identifiermay be a six character string of letters and numbers. In one aspect ofthe invention, a non-subscriber sends a message to a subscriber's devicefrom a “web send” web page. In this example, the message is received byan ARC for translation. The ARC initially strips off the destinationaddress and publishes the address with a subject of “validation request”on the network transport. In one aspect of the invention, the ARCpublishes the validation request without a particular RAVE as adestination. In this aspect, all RAVEs connected to the networktransport subscribe to messages with the subject “validation request.”In this publish and subscribe protocol, all RAVEs access the validationrequest.

In another embodiment, a point to point protocol is used. In thismanner, the originating ARC directs the validation request to a specificRAVE. A RAVE entity receives the validation request and performs thenecessary validation functions. For example, the RAVE receives thedestination address, accesses a subscriber's information based on thatdestination address, and returns a validation response. In variousaspects of the invention, this validation response can be published onthe network using a publish and subscribe protocol or using a point topoint protocol. The originating ARC receives the validation response.Since the destination address is valid, the ARC performs necessarytranslation functions and the message proceeds through the network tothe destination address. The ARC, upon translating the message, mayassign a unique message identifier. This identifier could then pass backthrough the network to the web interface.

In another embodiment consistent with the exemplary method of FIG. 34,the SCI itself assigns the unique message identifier. In alternateembodiments of the invention, RAVE entities, DART entities, mailtransfer agents, LAMB entities, or any other network element may assignthe unique identifier. The identifier may originate in a singlecomponent that generates unique identifiers. In another aspect of theinvention, numerous different network elements may each generate theunique identifiers. In this case, the network elements may communicateamong each other to ensure that the identifiers generated are unique. Inanother aspect of the invention, an identifier is assigned to a messagebased on the message center associated with the message. In this aspectof the invention, identifiers are unique for messages traveling througha message center but they may not be unique across different messagecenters in the network.

In exemplary step 3406, the unique identifier is displayed to the partywho originated the message. For example, a person who sends a messagefrom a “web send” web page may receive a unique identifier displayed onthat web page. In one embodiment, a person sends a message from a “websend” web page. Upon sending the message, a screen containing the uniqueidentifier associated with that message may pop up on the web page. Inanother embodiment, the unique identifier may be sent to the personalong with a delivery or read receipt. In yet another example, asubscriber may receive the unique message identifier on a predetermineddevice or at a predetermined location. A subscriber may wish to receivethe identifier possibly along with a delivery receipt at an emailaddress specified by the subscriber.

Once in possession of the unique identifier, a person may query themessage as depicted in exemplary step 3408. A person may access a “querymessage” web page displayed on a web portal served by an SCI. In thisexample, the “query message” web page contains various query functionssuch as tracking a message, ascertaining whether the message wasdelivered, ascertaining whether the message was read, displayingtransmission errors, and any other type of query function. The “querymessage” web page displays a screen into which a person can enter theunique identifier. In other embodiments of the invention, a subscribermay be able to initiate a query from a device. A subscriber may be ableto enter the unique identifier into a blackberry, pager, cellular phone,or other device to obtain information about the message.

Once the unique identifier is entered, as depicted in exemplary step3410, the network retrieves the queried information about the messagebased on the unique identifier. A unique identifier is entered into a“query message” web page. The identifier is passed from the web page toan SCI. In one embodiment, the SCI contains a listing of the uniqueidentifiers associated with messages sent from the web page. The SCI maythen perform a look-up function to ascertain the status of the messageand any other requested information. In another embodiment, the SCIpublishes on a network transport the unique identifier along with thesubject “query request.” In this example, the DART entity may subscribeto the subject “query request” and each DART may look for thesemessages. In this manner, the network may use a publish and subscriberprotocol.

In another embodiment, the “query request” may be addressed to aspecific DART element in a point to point protocol. In either case, aDART element receives the “query request” with the unique identifier.The DART element, in this example, accesses one or more MDSs based onthe unique identifier. For example, messages and accompanying messageinformation may be stored in an MDS in various tables along with aunique identifier. In this manner, a DART element may simply perform alook-up operation to retrieve message information from an MDS database.In this example, the MDS stores the message itself along with messageinformation including information about receipt of the message. The DARTelement returns the information to the network transport, either in apublish and subscribe protocol or a point to point protocol, destinedfor the originating SCI. The SCI displays the information on a web page.In other embodiments of the invention, other elements may perform thequery functions. For example, a RAVE entity or a LAMB entity may accessa database to retrieve the information requested in a query.

In exemplary step 3412, the requested information is displayed. In theexample of a query initiated from a web page, the requested informationis displayed on the web page. In other embodiments of the invention, theinformation is displayed on a device. The information may also be sentto a destination device specified by a subscriber. For example, asubscriber may initiate a query from his pager and then request that theinformation be sent to a specified email address.

FIG. 35 depicts a method for password protecting a subscriber-createddistribution list in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention. In step 3502, a subscriber createsa distribution list of destination addresses. In one embodiment of theinvention, a subscriber may access a web page to create a distributionlist of addresses. In this example, a subscriber enters into the webpage a list of destination addresses. These destination addresses arethen associated with an alias that the subscriber uses to refer to thedistribution list.

A subscriber may enter into the web page a list of addresses thatcorrespond to the people with whom he works. This distribution list maythen be associated with a word such as “work.” In this manner, thesubscriber can refer to the list of addresses simply by entering theword “work” into a device. In another embodiment of the invention, theaddresses of a distribution list can be entered into a device such as ablackberry, cellular phone, or pager. In another aspect of theinvention, a subscriber may enter the list of addresses into a PDA orpersonal computer. In addition, the subscriber may associate any stringof characters with the distribution list. For example, the subscribermay associate a word, a number, or a symbol with the list.

In exemplary step 3504, the subscriber enters a password that is used toprotect the distribution list. In one aspect of the invention, thenetwork displays a query to the subscriber asking if he wishes topassword protect the distribution list. The subscriber may respond thathe wishes to password protect the distribution list. In such a case, thenetwork then requests that the subscriber enter a password. In oneaspect of the invention, the subscriber enters the password into a webpage displayed on a personal computer. In other aspects of theinvention, the subscriber enters the password into a personal digitalassistant, pager, cellular phone, or other device.

In exemplary steps 3506 and 3508, the network associates the passwordwith the distribution list and stores the password and distribution listin a data structure. For example, a subscriber may enter a distributionlist and password into a device. This information then passes to an ARCelement for translation. Initially, the incoming ARC publishes on anetwork transport a validation request. A RAVE receives the validationrequest, looks up information stored in a UADB, RVDB, or MIND, processesthe validation request, and returns a validation response. In thisexample, subscriber information stored in a data structure indicatesthat the subscriber has signed up for service that allows him to createpassword-protected distribution lists. The validation response isreceived by the incoming ARC. Upon receipt, the ARC translates thedistribution list and password into a common format and appends relevantmessage information such as the originating address, message type, andother information. The ARC sends this translated list, password, andaccompanying information, for example, to a RAVE via the networktransport.

As noted, communication between the network entities can occur via apublish and subscribe protocol or a point to point protocol. The RAVEreceives the distribution list, password, and accompanying informationand stores them in a UADB, RVDB, MIND, or other data structure. In oneembodiment, the data structure is a relational database that stores thelist and password along with accompanying identifying information intables. In this manner, the password is associated with the distributionlist in the data structure. The password and distribution list may bestored together in the same data structure in the same table, or indifferent data structures that are linked together. In another aspect ofthe invention, the distribution list and password are stored in a linkedlist. Encryption may be employed to preserve the integrity of thepassword. In another aspect of the invention, various flags, such as aconfidentiality flag, may be set to indicate the confidential nature ofthe password.

After the distribution list and password are stored, the subscriber, inexemplary step 3510, requests access to the distribution list using thepassword. In this example, the subscriber accesses the distribution listfrom a device. The subscriber enters a message and denotes as itsdestination a distribution list. The subscriber may wish to send amessage to his work contacts. In this manner, the subscriber enters theword “work” as the destination for a message. The word “work” in thiscase is an alias referring to the distribution list of destinationaddresses associated with the subscriber's work contacts.

Upon entering the distribution list as the destination for the message,the network prompts the subscriber for the password. In one embodimentof the invention, the subscriber enters a message with a passwordprotected distribution list as a destination. The distribution listalias is received by an ARC element. The ARC element, in this example,publishes on a network transport the alias along with a “get aliasinformation” request. The RAVE entity receives the “get aliasinformation” request and processes it by accessing information stored ina UADB, RVDB, or other data structure. The RAVE, upon accessing the datastructure discovers that the distribution list is password protected andsends a “get password” request to the originating ARC. The ARCtranslates the “get password” request so that it can be displayed on thedevice. This prompt is then displayed on the subscriber's device. Inother aspects of the invention, this password prompt can be displayed inmany different forms on any device used in conjunction with the network.The subscriber responds to the password prompt by entering the passwordinto his device and transmitting it to the network.

As depicted in exemplary step 3512, upon receipt of the password, thenetwork allows access-to the distribution list. In this example, thesubscriber enters the password into a device. The incoming ARC receivesthe password, performs translation, and sends it to the RAVE forverification. The RAVE receives the password and checks it against thepassword stored in a data structure. The password is valid and the RAVEreturns a validation response along with the contents of thedistribution list. Other elements of the network then process themessage. In further embodiments of the invention, other networkelements, such as the LAMB, DART, other ARCs, SCIs, and other RAVEs, mayperform the distribution look-up and password validation functionsdescribed.

FIG. 36 depicts a method for designating a type of message notificationin an exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention. In this example, a subscriber sends a message and requests anotification about the receipt of the message. In exemplary step 3602,the subscriber sends a message. This message can be of any type and canbe sent from any type of device. For example, the subscriber may send anSMS message from his cellular phone. In this case, the subscriber entersthe message text and destination into his phone.

After entering the message to be sent, the subscriber enters the type ofnotification he wishes to receive as depicted in exemplary step 3604. Inone embodiment of the invention, the subscriber enters the notificationtype when he enters the message itself. In another embodiment, thenetwork prompts the user to enter a notification type. For example, asubscriber who sends an SMS message on his cellular phone first entersthe destination address and message text. After he forwards the messagetext and destination address to the network, he receives a prompt fromthe network to enter the type of notification he wishes to receive. Thisprompt displays a list of notification types and notificationdestinations.

Notification types may include receipt notification which notifies asender of a message when the message was received and read notificationwhich notifies the sender of a message when the message is read. Thesubscriber may also be able to choose a destination for thenotification. In this manner, a subscriber may receive the notificationon any device such as a personal computer, pager, or cellular phone.

In one embodiment of the invention, the notification prompt is generatedby a network entity such as a RAVE, ARC, LAMB, SCI, or DART. Forexample, a first subscriber may send a message from a web page to asecond subscriber. The first subscriber enters the message anddestination address into a “web send” web page. The first subscriberthen enters the type of notification he wishes to receive and theaddress to which he wants the notification sent. This web page is servedup by an SCI. In this manner, the SCI solicits the notificationinformation and then transmits the notification information to othernetwork entities for processing.

In exemplary steps 3606 and 3608, the network receives the notificationinformation and processes it. In one embodiment, the notificationinformation includes the type of notification requested, a messageidentifier, and a destination address or multiple destination addressesto which the notification is to be sent. This information may be passedfrom a web page to an SCI and then to an ARC. In another embodiment, theinformation is passed directly from a device to an ARC. Upon receipt,the ARC performs translation functions and publishes on a networktransport the information with the subject “notification request.” Inthis case, DART entities subscribe for notification requests and a DARTentity receives the information. In other embodiments of the invention,other network entities such as RAVEs, LAMBs, and ARCs may subscribe fornotification requests. Upon receipt, the DART processes the request byaccessing an MDS to determine the status of the message. In oneembodiment of the invention, status information is stored in an MDSalong with the message itself and accompanying information. The DART, inthis case, accesses an associated MDS for information to satisfy thenotification request.

Upon accessing this information, the DART returns the information to thenetwork transport. An ARC receives the information along with thedestination address or addresses for the notification message. Thereceiving ARC translates the notification message into a format that isdisplayable on the devices associated with the destination addresses. Inone aspect, a notification message that is sent to multiple devices mayrequire multiple ARCs to perform the proper translation functions. Aftertranslation, the notification message is sent to the devices at thespecified destination addresses as depicted in exemplary step 3610.

FIG. 37 depicts a method for providing message information to asubscriber based on the contents of a cookie in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the principles of the present invention. In exemplarystep 3702, the network reads a cookie from a browser. In one exampleconsistent with the principles of the invention, a subscriber accesses a“web send” web page from a browser on a personal computer connected tothe internet. The browser, for example, can be Netscape Navigator orMicrosoft Internet Explorer. In this example, an SCI, MTA, or web baseddevice serves up the “web send” web page to the subscriber's browser.Alternatively, a server connected to the network serves up the “websend” web page to the subscriber's browser. As is commonly known in theart, the server on which the “web send” web page resides reads a cookiefrom the subscriber's browser. The cookie may be read in any convenientmanner. Alternatively, if the subscriber is a first time visitor to theweb page, the server creates a cookie that is written to thesubscriber's browser. This newly created cookie may then be read andupdated with message information. The contents of cookies, the manner inwhich they are read, and the manner in which they are created are allknown to those skilled in the art.

In exemplary step 3704, the network updates the contents of the cookiewith message information. A subscriber accessing a “web send” web pagefrom his browser sends a message that travels through the network. Aspreviously noted, this message can be of any type and can have anydestination. The subscriber may send an SMS message from a web page to adevice. This message, in this example, travels through the network toits destination. In one aspect of the invention, the destination addressand/or the origination address are verified by a RAVE entity, themessage is translated by incoming and outgoing ARCs, and the message andaccompanying information are stored in a data structure by a DART. Inthis example, the SCI obtains information about the message and adds itto the cookie. The SCI obtains a message identifier which can be in theform of a string of characters, and appends that identifier to thecookie. Other various types of information such as transactionidentifiers, message type codes, destination addresses, or any othertype of message information may be appended to the cookie. In thismanner, the cookie contains information about the message, in this case,that the subscriber has sent from a “web send” web page displayed on abrowser.

In exemplary step 3706, the network transmits the updated cookie to thesubscriber's browser. After appending message information to the cookie,the SCI or other server transmits the cookie to the subscriber'sbrowser. The web browser software writes the cookie to the hard drive onthe subscriber's personal computer. The various methods of transmittingand writing cookies are known to those skilled in the art.

This process can be repeated many times. For example, a subscriber maysend several messages from his browser. Each time a message is sent, acookie can be read, updated, and returned to the browser. Alternatively,the SCI or other server may initially read the cookie, compileinformation about all the messages sent from the web page, update thecookie with that collective information, and then transmit the cookieback to the web browser. Many other combinations of reading, updating,and returning a cookie are known to those skilled in the art and arewithin the scope of this invention.

In exemplary step 3708, the browser accesses information stored in thecookie. For example, a subscriber may initiate a query about themessages he sent from his browser. In this manner, a subscriber mayquery the system for the messages that have been received or read bytheir intended destination. The information contained in the cookie maybe used to satisfy the query request. For example, the subscriberinitiates a query request from his browser. Upon initiating the query,the network reads the cookie and obtains the message information. In oneaspect of the invention, the message information comprises a uniquemessage identifier for each message sent. The network obtains themessage identifiers from the cookie and performs a query function basedon those identifiers. The SCI or other server reads the cookie, stripsout the message identifiers and passes a query request along with theidentifiers to an incoming ARC. The ARC translates this request alongwith the identifiers into a common format and transmits this informationto another network entity such as a DART, RAVE, or LAMB. A DART receivesthe request along with the identifiers and obtains the status of themessages from a connected data structure. The DART may perform a simplelook-up in an MDS based on the message identifiers. The DART may thenreturn the requested information to an ARC for translation. Thisinformation may then pass through an SCI or other server to be displayedon the subscriber's browser.

In another embodiment of the invention, the browser simply reads themessage information from the cookie and displays it to the subscriber.In this example, the cookie may be updated by the network so that itcontains information about whether the messages were received or read.In this manner, the network may read the cookie and update it withvarious information about the status of the message.

Finally, in exemplary step 3710, the message information is displayed onthe browser. This information can be displayed on the browser in anyformat and methods for displaying information on a browser are known tothose skilled in the art.

In this embodiment, the SCI serves up web page content, monitors the webpage, receives responses from the web page, and processes thoseresponses. At stage 3810, the SCI retrieves web page content to bedisplayed on a web page, and at stage 3820 displays that content on theweb page. The SCI may access a data storage device to obtain the webpage content and may also update portions of a web page with thatcontent. At stage 3830, the SCI monitors the web page for responses fromsubscribers. At stage 3840, the SCI receives a response and, at stage3850, the SCI processes that response. The SCI then continues to monitorthe web page for further responses as illustrated in stage 3830.

FIG. 39 illustrates the receipt of a response by the SCI in an exemplaryembodiment consistent with the principles of the present invention. Atstage 3830, a web page daemon monitors traffic for responses. At stage3920, the web page receives a response. More particularly, the server onwhich the web page is displayed receives the response. At stage 3930,the response is passed to the portal interface portion of the SCI. Theportal interface portion, in this embodiment, acts as a gateway betweenthe SCI logic and the web server. At stage 3940, the portal interfaceportion of the SCI passes the response to the SCI logic portion forprocessing.

FIG. 40 is an exemplary flow diagram that illustrates the processing ofa response by the SCI in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention. While only a few differentprocessing functions are depicted, the SCI is capable of performingadditional functions described herein. At stage 4002, the SCI determinesif the response is a query request. In this case, the query request isbased on a unique identifier previously assigned to a message. Thesubscriber enters the unique identifier into a web page and the requestalong with the identifier is received by the SCI. If the response is aquery request, then the SCI parses out the unique identifier on whichthe query is based as indicated in stage 4005. In stage 4007, the SCIpasses the identifier along with a request to the network transport. Inan alternate embodiment, the request and identifier may be passed to anARC for translation before being placed on the network transport. Atstage 4010, the SCI receives the requested information. In this case,the requested information is the status or history of the messageassociated with the unique identifier. At stage 4012, the SCI displaysthe requested information on the web page.

If the response is not a query request, the flow proceeds to stage 4015in which the SCI determines if the response is a request to create apassword. In many instances, a subscriber may be able to create apassword that can be associated with different aspects of his account.For example, a subscriber may be able to create a password protecteddistribution list. If the request is a create password request, then theSCI parses out the password entered by the subscriber as depicted instage 4017. In this manner, the response itself contains a request tocreate a password along with the desired password. At stage 4020, theSCI places the password along with a request on the network transport.Alternately, the SCI passes the request and desired password to an ARCfor translation before the request and desired password are placed onthe network transport. At stage 4022, the SCI receives confirmation thatthe password has been created in the system. In one embodiment, thisconfirmation acknowledges the creation of the password as well as thepassword itself. At stage 4025, the SCI displays the confirmationinformation on the web page.

If the response is not a request to create a password, then the SCIdetermines if the response is a password required response asillustrated in stage 4027. For example, a subscriber may wish to accessa password protected distribution list. In such a case, the subscribermust enter the password when prompted by the web page. The entry of thispassword is transmitted to the SCI for processing in the form of apassword required response. At stage 4030, the SCI parse out thepassword. The SCI places the password along with a request on thenetwork transport for processing by the network as illustrated in stage4032. Alternately, the SCI passes the request and password to an ARC fortranslation and the ARC places the translated request and password onthe network transport.

At stage 4035, the SCI receives the response from the network.Typically, this response contains information about the validity of thepassword. At stage 4037, the SCI, based on the response from thenetwork, determines whether the password is valid. If it is valid, thenthe SCI permits access as depicted in stage 4040. If the password isinvalid, then the SCI denies access as illustrated in stage 4042.

If the response is not a password required response, then the SCIdetermines if it is another type of request as illustrated in stage4045. As noted, the SCI is capable of performing numerous functions byreceiving responses entered by subscribers into a web page. If theresponse is a type of request, then the SCI parses out the necessaryinformation in stage 4047. At stage 4050, the information, along with arequest, is placed on the network transport for processing by thenetwork. Alternately, the information and request are transmitted to anARC for translation. At stage 4052, the SCI receives a response to therequest, and at stage 4055, the SCI displays the relevant information.Finally, if the response is not a type of request, then the SCI performserror handling functions as illustrated in stage 4057.

Lamb

FIG. 41 illustrates a LAMB in an exemplary embodiment consistent withthe principles of the present invention. A LAMB (logging,administration, maintenance, and billing) module 160 is operativelyconnected to network transport layer 125. Network transport layer 125may comprise, for example, a network bus through which messages pass.LAMB module 160 may also be operatively connected to a user console4104. User console 4104 may comprise, for example, one or more terminalsconnected to LAMB module 160 via any known network protocol or via theInternet.

LAMB module 160 may further comprise a LAMB processor 4106 and a datastorage module 4108. LAMB processor typically comprises a networkinput/output (I/O) module 4110 for interfacing with network transportlayer 125 and a console input/output (I/O) module 4112 for interfacingwith user console 4104. LAMB processor 4106 may also comprise a memory4114 and a central processing unit (CPU) 4116. CPU 4116 may processinstructions stored in memory 4114 for administering an error condition.Additionally, CPU 4116 may interface with data storage module 4108 torecord information relating to message moving through the communicationsnetwork. Optionally, memory 4114 and data storage module 4108 can bepart of the same storage device.

FIG. 42 illustrates an exemplary method for administering an errorcondition in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Instep 4200, a message moving through the communication network (i.e.,network transport layer 125) is monitored. A determination is made instep 4202 whether there is an error condition associated with themessage. If there is no error condition, basic information relating tothe transaction is recorded in step 4204 to the data storage module4108. If there is an error condition, detailed information is recordedin step 4206 to the data storage module 4108. In contrast, detailedinformation comprises basic information plus additional information. Therationale behind the determination in step 4202 is to conserve storagespace in data storage module 4108 when a message is transmittederror-free. In contrast, this space is reserved for messages provokingan error condition, because such messages are most likely to be replayedand scrutinized.

For those messages that do provoke an error condition, the message isreplayed through the communications network in step 4208. Step 4208 maycomprise transmitting the message through the communications network ina safe mode of operation (as is known in the art), at the behest of auser, and/or on a step-by-step basis. Moreover, if, for example, thetransmission of the may cause damage or other deleterious effects to thecommunications network, flags may be added to certain portions of themessage indicate that certain operations associated with the messagetransmission are “dummy” operations, i.e., for troubleshooting and notfor actual execution. This flagging operation may be implementedmanually by a user or automatically via software resident in LAMB module4106, for example.

Turning now to FIG. 43, an exemplary method for stepping through amessage transmission consistent with an embodiment of the instantinvention will now be described. In step 4300, instructions are receivedfrom a user console about an element of the communications network onwhich to focus. Typically, a user will input a desired element for thefocus at the user console based on the user's notion that a particularelement is at the root of the error condition. Elements on which tofocus may comprise, for example, SMSCs, ARCs, RAVEs, or DARTs. In step4302, a user may command the stepping of the message through thecommunication network, wherein the LAMB module 4106 receivesinstructions from the user console to perform the next step of themessage transmission. Response information related to the response ofthe element of focus is recorded in step 4304. This response informationmay comprise, for example, details associated with an error condition.In step 4306, this response information is transmitted to the userconsole.

In this way, the information may be used by the user to troubleshootproblems associated with the message transmission. Step 4306 may thenrevert back to step 4302 as needed to complete all steps necessary totransmit the message through the communications system.

Turning now to FIG. 44, in a first exemplary embodiment, a contentrouter 155 may be operatively connected to a multiplexer 4402. Contentrouter 155 may modify the destination and/or text of a message movingthrough the communication network. Multiplexer 4402 is operativelyconnected to one or more External Short Message Entities (ESMEs) 4404,which may send request messages comprising, for example, a command andat least one parameter.

Multiplexer 4402 is also operatively connected to one or more shortmessage service centers (SMSC) 4406, which are responsible for providingresponse information in response to query messages, such as those thatmay be sent from content router 155. SMSC 4406 may comprise a contentprovider, such as an Internet or Intranet website, or any otherinformation provider. Multiplexer 4402 may route request messages basedon instructions provided by content router 155 to and from various SMSCs4406 that provide information content. SMSCs 4406 may then send a queryresponse message back through multiplexer 4402 to content router 155.Content router 155 may then send a request response message back toESMEs 4404.

FIG. 45 illustrates another exemplary system environment in which topractice an embodiment of the present invention. Turning to FIG. 45, acontent router 155 is operatively connected to a network transport layer125, which may comprise a bus, for example. Network transport layer 125is in turn operatively connected to one or more Adaptive RoutingConcentrators (ARC) 110. ARCs 110 may be used to interface betweennetwork transport layer 125 and various network elements. An ARC 110 mayinterface an ESME 115 with network transport layer 125. As mentionedpreviously, ESME 115 may send request messages comprising, for example,a command and at least one parameter, through ARC 110 to networktransport 125.

Content router 155, which may monitor the network transport layer 125for such request messages, may then receive the request message andprocess the request message. Such processing may comprise, for example,sending a query message through an ARC 110 to an SMSC 105 based on thecommand and the at least one parameter. SMSC 105 functions to provideinformation content. Thus, SMSC 105 may, in turn, send a query responsemessage back through an ARC 110 to content router 155 via the networktransport layer 125. Here again, content router 155 may process thereceived query response message. After processing, content router 155may send a request response message back to ESME 115 via networktransport layer 125 and an ARC 110.

Additionally, network transport layer 125 may be operatively connectedto a RAVE 130, which may act as a address aliasing facility to allelements of the communications network. In this way, the aliasingfacility may receive a destination address, which is typically anabbreviation or shortened code, and send out its associated long code,address, or telephone number back to a requesting entity.

FIG. 46 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method for retrievinginformation consistent with an embodiment of the present invention. Instep 4600, a message request is received at, for example, content router155. This message request may originate in an ESME 115, such as a mobiletelephone or other wireless communication device. Message requests maycomprise just a command or may comprise a command and at least oneparameter. For example, the message

-   -   QUOTE SBC        requests a real-time stock quote for SBC Communications, Inc.,        wherein “QUOTE” is the command and “SBC” is the parameter.        Furthermore, the message    -   QUOTE SBC BLS        is an example of a message with two parameters, wherein the        message requests real-time stock quotes for SBC Communications,        Inc. and BellSouth Corporation. Finally, the message    -   WEATHER        is an example of a message with a command and no parameters,        wherein the message requests a weather report for a prespecified        location. The present invention contemplates any number of such        commands, such as TRAFFIC, SCORE, NEWS, and HELP. The present        invention also contemplates that any of these commands may be        modified and new commands could be added. Commands should        generally comprise a mnemonic or an abbreviation for a service        associated with the command.

In step 4602, content router 155 parses the received message determinethe command, and, optionally, one or more parameters. In some cases,content router 155 may receive some messages where the command is notrecognized. As an optional step to the exemplary method, content router155 may determine if the received message contains a recognized command.If the received request message does not contain a recognized command,content router 155 may optionally send a further information requestback to the entity that sent the request message. This furtherinformation request may seek clarification of the command in theoriginal request message. Furthermore, content router 155 may send aquery message comprising a default command if the received requestmessage does not contain a recognized command.

Another optional step may be used for handling commands that are notrecognized. This step comprises parsing received request message for atleast a semblance of a recognized command. In actuality, this semblanceof a recognized command may comprise a fragment of a command, amisspelled command, an aliased command, a command concatenated to aparameter, a command concatenated to an address, or an abbreviatedcommand, for example. Once this semblance of a command is recognized, arecognized command may be associated with the semblance of a command. Inthis way, the associated command may be sent with a query message. Thepresent invention contemplates that the step of associating a knowncommand with a semblance of a command may be implemented via lookuptables, dictionaries, heuristics, and/or experience. Furthermore, thepresent invention contemplates that this step may be adaptive andchangeable as new permutations of commands are encountered.

Using the command and the parameter(s), content router 155 fashions aquery message based on a protocol associated with a content provider(step 4604). This step acknowledges that content providers (such as SMSC105) may have specific message protocols for obtaining information thatlikely differ from those of the entity sending a message request.Optionally, the command may be associated with a certain contentprovider such that all messages comprising that command are sent to thecertain content provider. In step 4606, content router 155 sends thequery message to the content provider.

Content router 155 receives a message, parses the message for a command,fashions a query message in the format recognized by the contentprovider, and sends the query message to the content provider.

Typically, the content provider will process the query message in itsown proprietary fashion. For example, the content provider may comprisean Internet or Intranet web site. Thus, data from the content providermay be obtained, for example, by sending a message that fills outappropriate fields in a web page and submits a request for information.

Again with reference to FIG. 46, content router 155 may receive a queryresponse message from the content provider in step 4608. In step 4610,the content router may parse the query response message for the responseinformation, which should comprise the information originally sought inthe message request. The content provider fashions a request to theresponse message based on this response information and based on aprotocol associated with the message request (step 4612). In step 4614,content router 155 sends the request response message, typically to thedevice that sent the original message request. Typically, the protocolassociated with the message request is actually the protocol of thedevice that sent the message request. Thus, step 4612 fashions a messagethat may be understood by the entity that sent the original messagerequest.

Turning now to FIG. 47, another exemplary method will be described forretrieving information according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. In step 4700, content router 155 receives a message request.As mentioned above, this message request may originate in an ESME 115,such as a mobile telephone or other wireless communication device.Message requests may comprise a command and/or at least one parameter,and a destination alias or a destination address. In step 4702, contentrouter sends and address request message to an aliasing facility, suchas, for example, a RAVE 130. The content router may then transform thedestination alias into its associated destination address (e.g., a longcode, address, or telephone number), which is then sent back to contentrouter 155. In step 4700, content router 155 receives the destinationaddress.

Content router 155 fashions a query message in step 4706 based on aprotocol associated with the destination address. Typically, theprotocol of the device to which the query message is being sent willdictate the protocol of the query message, such as, for example, theposting of form data in a predetermined format for a Intranet orInternet web site. The query message is sent to the destination addressin step 4708 by content router 155. Typically, a device associated withthe destination address, such as a content provider, will process thequery message and send a query response message back to content router155. In step 4710, content router 155 receives a query response messagefrom a device associated with the destination address.

Content router 155 may fashion a request response message in step 4712.This request response message may be based on a protocol associated withthe request message. In step 4714, content router 155 sends this requestresponse message typically to the device that sent a message request.This device could comprise an ESME 115, such as a mobile telephone orother wireless communication device. However, it is contemplated thatcontent router 155 may send the request response message to otherdevices without departing from the scope of the present invention.

An example of the exemplary method of FIG. 47 will now be presented.Consider the message request

-   -   141 QUOTE SBC that is received by content router 155. In this        message,“141” is the destination alias, “QUOTE” command, and        “SBC” is the parameter. According to the exemplary method of        FIG. 47, content router 155 sends an address request message to        an aliasing facility. The address request message comprises the        address alias, such as    -   141        Content router 155 then receives a destination address from the        aliasing facility, such as    -   111040000        where “111040000” is a destination address associated with the        destination alias. Content router may then combine the        destination address with the command and the one or more        parameters, such as    -   111040000 QUOTE SBC        and send this message to network transport layer 125 for        eventual delivery to a device associated with the destination        address (e.g., a content provider). In this example, the device        associated with the destination address may be a content        provider that is capable of providing real-time stock quotes. In        step 4700, content router 155 may receive a response from the        content providing device at the destination address, such as    -   40.17        In this case “40.17” represents a current stock price for SBC        Communications, Inc.

Content provider 155 can then fashion a request response messagecomprising this information and send the request response message backto the device that sent the original message request. Furthermore,content provider 155 would fashion the message based on a protocolassociated with this device, such that the sent message would beunderstood by the device. Typically, this device would be an ESME 115,such as a mobile telephone or other wireless communication device. Thus,the stock price information could be displayed by the device remotely.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may support SMPP3.4.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may use a database forstoring the processing rules.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may provide a web basedinterface to maintain processing rules.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may support keywordselection from the content of a message.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may support keywordswith regular expressions, for example a rule with [h-i]elp may accepthelp and ielp.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may support keywords ascase sensitive/insensitive.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may support intelligentkeyword selection. Keywords may be treated as if they do not have whitespace (E.g. Help Games can be listed as HelpGames)

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may support argumentsin the message contents (e.g., keyword followed by multiple arguments).

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may support variabletags for argument selection (e.g. $1, $2, $3).

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may allow multipleDestination/Keyword combinations to take one specific action

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may support an enginewhich uses both the content and subject for rule evaluation.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may allow new rules tobe added dynamically.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may allow modificationof the originating and or destination address of the message.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may selectively createnew content based on some/all of the parameters of the original message.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may use delimitingcharacters (space, comma, hash, star, etc) to identify keywords andparameters.

If a routing rule does not exist then a default action may be provided(e.g. notify the originator of the problem).

It will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art that variouschanges and modifications of an obvious nature may be made, and all suchchanges and modifications are considered to fall within the scope of theappended claims. Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art from consideration of the specification andpractice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that thespecification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a truescope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the followingclaims and their equivalents.

1. A method for processing a user request for data in a wirelesstelecommunications network comprising: receiving, from a wirelesscommunication device via a network transport bus, a request message,wherein the request message includes a user-inputted command and auser-inputted parameter for requesting information from one of aplurality of content providers, wherein at least two of the plurality ofcontent providers operate under different technology protocols, whereinthe network transport bus communicatively connects a plurality ofnetwork elements and utilizes a common messaging format forcommunication among and between the network elements and wherein thenetwork elements comprise an adaptive routing concentrator, a routingand validation entity, network database, and a subscriber interface allcommunicatively connected to the network transport bus; selecting anappropriate content provider to provide content that is associated withthe user-inputted command and the user-inputted parameter; creating aquery message based on the user-inputted command in a formatrecognizable by the selected content provider; sending the query messageto the selected content provider; receiving a query response messagefrom the selected content provider comprising the requested information;and sending a request response message that includes the requestedinformation to the wireless communication device via the networktransport bus.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determininga destination address of the query message based on the user-inputtedcommand.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of determining thedestination address of the query message further comprises associatingan alias destination received in the request message with thedestination address.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectedcontent provider is at least one of an Intranet web site and an Internetweb site.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: sending afurther information request to the wireless telecommunication device ifthe received request message does not contain a recognized command. 6.The method of claim 1, further comprising: sending a query message tothe selected content provider based on a default command if the receivedrequest does not contain a recognized command.
 7. The method of claim 1,further comprising: parsing the received message request to identify atleast one of a fragment of a command, a misspelled command, an aliasedcommand, a command concatenated to a parameter, a command concatenatedto an address, and an abbreviated command if the received request doesnot contain a recognized command; associating the at least one of thefragment of a command, the misspelled command, the aliased command, thecommand concatenated to the parameter, the command concatenated to theaddress, and the abbreviated command with the recognized command as anassociated command; and sending the query message to the selectedcontent provider based on the associated command.
 8. The method of claim1, wherein creating the query message further comprises: creating thequery message based on the at least one parameter.
 9. A system forprocessing an information request in a wireless communications networkcomprising: a request message receiver for receiving from a wirelessdevice a request message via a network transport bus, wherein therequest message includes a user- inputted command and at least oneuser-inputted parameter for requesting information from one of aplurality of content providers, wherein at least two of the plurality ofcontent providers operate under different technology protocols, whereinthe network transport bus communicatively connects a plurality ofnetwork elements and utilizes a common messaging format forcommunication among and between the network elements, and wherein thenetwork elements comprise an adaptive routing concentrator, a routingand validation entity, a network database, and a subscriber interfaceall communicatively connected to the network transport bus; a querymessage sender communicatively connected to the network transport bus,wherein the query message sender selects an appropriate content providerto provide content that is associated with the user-inputted command andthe user-inputted parameter, creates a query message based on theuser-inputted command, the at least one parameter, and a protocolassociated with the selected content provider, and sends the querymessage to the selected content provider; a query response messagereceiver communicatively connected to the network transport bus, whereinthe query response message receiver receives requested information fromthe selected content provider; and a response message sendercommunicatively connected to the network transport bus, wherein theresponse message sender sends the requested information to the wirelessdevice via the network transport bus.
 10. The system of claim 9, whereinthe request message receiver and the response message sender isconnected to the communications network via a multiplexer that iscommunicatively connected to the network transport bus.